HBtmmmnmsm 


wmrmnnmimmmii 


SeCCjMiffe  c^tiiffy 


1 


in  t/ie  ^ 

Joife  of  ^uf 


BS  2507  .S44  1904 
Sell,  Henry  T.  1854-1928. 
Bible  studies  in  the  life  o: 
Paul 


BIBLE  STUDIES 

IN    THE    LIFE    OF    PAUL 

HISTORICAL  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 


BY         / 

REV.  HENRY  T.  'sELL,  D.D. 

Author  of  "  Supplemental  Bible  Studies,"  "  Bible  Study  by  Books," 

"Bible  Study  by  Doctrines,"  «'  Bible  Study  by  Periods," 

and  <♦  Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ." 


CHICAGO         NEW  YORK        TORONTO 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

LONDON  &  EDINBURGH 


COPYRIGHT,  1904 
BY  FLEMING  H. 
RHVELL     COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:     75    Princes    Street 


PREFACE 

The  book  of  Acts  shows  in  a  very  graphic  way  the 
rapid  growth  and  marvelous  progress  of  Christianity  in 
the  midst  of  great  opposition.  We  see  in  process  of  ful- 
fillment the  promise  of  Jesus  Christ  to  his  disciples  that 
they  should  receive  power  after  the  Holy  Ghost  had  come 
upon  them  and  that  they  should  be  witnesses  unto  Him 
**both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria  and 
unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  Those  were  earn- 
est times  and  full  of  stirring  events,  when  men  went  forth 
to  conquer  a  hostile  world  not  with  swords,  but  by  the 
preaching  of  a  gospel  of  peace  and  good  will.  As  soon  as 
this  proclamation  was  made  in  Judea  and  Samaria  a  new 
instrument  was  chosen  by  Jesus  Christ,  in  Paul,  to  carry 
His  message  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth.  He 
thus  became  at  once  the  chief  character  in  the  larger  work 
of  planting  and  developing  churches  outside  of  Palestine. 
The  study  of  Paul's  life  shows  the  difficulties  encountered, 
the  doctrines  taught,  and  the  organization  perfected  in  the 
early  churches.  **We  here  watch  the  dawn  of  the  gospel 
which  the  Savior  preached  as  it  broadens  gradually  into 
the  boundless  day." 

Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul  is  designed  to  follow 
the  author's  Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ  and  to 
show  the  work  of  the  Great  Apostle  in  carrying  the  gos- 
pel to  a  Gentile  world.  The  aim  is  to  present  the  work 
of  Paul  in  a  constructive  and  historical  way.  While  there 
has  been  a  careful  consideration,  on  the  part  of  the  author, 
of  disputed  questions,  only  conclusions  upon  which  there 
is  a  general  agreement  amongst  scholars,  and  which  can  be 
consistently  held,  are  presented.  The  great  main  facts  of 
Paul's  hfe  and  work  stand  forth  unchallenged  and  the 


6  Preface 

emphasis  is  placed  upon  them.  This  book  is  divided  into 
three  parts,  Paul's  preparation  for  his  work,  his  mission- 
ary journeys,  and  his  writings.  This  is  a  text  book,  and, 
with  the  analysis  of  each  study  and  questions,  is  prepared 
for  the  use  of  normal  and  advanced  Sunday-school  classes, 
teachers'  meetings,  schools,  colleges,  and  private  study. 
This  is  the  sixth  book  of  the  kind  which  the  author  has 
prepared  and  sent  forth.  The  large  favor  with  v/hich  the 
other  books  have  been  received,  and  the  desire,  first  of  all, 
of  making  the  life  and  work  of  Paul  even  better  known, 
have  been  the  motives  which  have  led  to  its  preparation. 

HENRY  T.  SELL. 
Chicago,  III. 


CONTENTS 
I.  Paul's  Preparation 

STUDY  PAGE 

I.    Early  Life ii 

II.    Conversion  .         .         .  .19 

II.  Paul's  Journeys 

III.     First  Missionary  Journey     .  .  29 

IV.    Second  Missionary  Journey .  .  41 

V.    Third  Missionary  Journey    .  .  53 

VI.    Jerusalem  to  Rome       •         •  •  62 

III.  Paul's  Writings 

VII.    The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom  .  79 

VIII.    The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New  .  91 

IX.    The  Supremacy  of  Christ      ,  .  107 

X.    Pastoral  and  Personal            •  .  121 


L     PAUL'S   PREPARATION 


Study  I 
EARLY  LIFE 


ANALYSIS 


The  Place  of  Paul— The  Man.    The  Work  of  the  Apostle.     The 

Leading  Thought. 
Birth — Place.     Time.    Family. 

Training— Home.    Mental,  Moral  and  Religious.    Industrial. 
The  World  as  Paul  Saw  It— The  World.    Political.    Religious. 

The  DifiSculties, 


Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


I.    PAUL'S   PREPARATION 


Study  I 

EARLY  LIFE 

THE  PLACE  OF  PAUL 

The  Man,  Paul,  judged  by  the  influence  he  has 
exerted  in  the  world,  is  one  of  the  greatest  characters  in 
all  history.  He  is  pre-eminent  not  only  as  a  mission- 
ary, but  as  a  marvelous  thinker  and  writer.  **He  was 
a  personaHty  of  vast  power,  force,  and  individuahty." 
There  are  some  men  who  seem  to  be  born  and  prepared 
to  do  a  large  work  for  the  world;  Paul  makes  the  impres- 
sion upon  those  who  carefully  read  the  recc^rd  of  his  life 
that  he  stands  first  in  this  class  of  men. 

The  Work  of  the  Apostle.— As  John  the  Baptist 
preceded  Christ  and  prepared  the  way  for  His  coming,  so 
Paul  succeeded  Christ  and  went  throughout  the  heathen 
world  proclaiming  that  the  Christ  had  come,  and  calling 
upon  all  men,  Jews  and  Gentiles,  to  repent  and  accept 
Him  as  their  Lord  and  Savior.  So  wide  was  his  work  as 
a  missionary  of  the  cross,  and  an  interpreter  of  the  Christ, 
that  a  certain  class  of  critics  have  sought  to  make  him  the 
creator  of  Christianity,  as  we  know  it ;  a  position  which 
Paul  would  be  the  first  to  repudiate.  He  sought  of  him- 
self, before  he  was  apprehended  by  Christ  on  the  way  to 
Damascus,  to  drive  Christianity  from  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

IS 


12       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


The  Leading  Thought  in  Paul's  mind,  after  his  con- 
version, was  personal  devotion  to  Christ;  this  was  the 
mainspring  of  every  act.  He  said,  ''I  am  crucified  with 
Christ:  nevertheless,  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me"  (Gal.  2:20).  **For  me  to  live  is  Christ"  (Phil. 
i:2i).  In  his  letters  to  the  churches  which  he  founded, 
there  are  found  no  picturesque  descriptions  of  cities  or  of 
scenery;  his  one  thought  is  to  make  known  the  Christ. 
He  says,  writing  to  the  Corinthian  church,  '*and  I,  breth- 
ren, when  I  came  to  you,  came  not  with  excellency  of 
speech  or  of  wisdom,  declaring  unto  you  the  testimony  of 
God.  For  I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among 
you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified"  (l  Cor. 
2:i,  2).  In  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  world,  for 
which  task  he  had  been  set  apart  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
(Acts  13:2)  and  which  he  had  accepted  with  all  his  heart, 
it  is  not  only  his  leading,  but  his  only  thought  to  make 
known  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord  and  Savior. 

To  miss  this  supreme  purpose  of  Paul  in  the  study  ot 
his  Hfe  is  to  miss  its  whole  significance  (Phil.  2:1-11; 
Col.  1:12-20). 


BIRTH 

Place. — The  world  is  interested  in  the  birthplaces  of 
its  great  men.  Some  of  these  birthplaces  are  in  doubt. 
There  is  no  doubt  about  the  place  in  which  Paul  was 
born.  He  says,  in  making  a  speech  to  the  Jews,  ''I  am 
verily  a  man  which  am  a  Jew,  born  in  Tarsus,  a  city  in 
CiHcia"  (Acts  22:3).  This  city  was  the  capital  of 
Cilicia  and  was  situated  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Asia 
Minor.  It  was  but  a  few  miles  from  the  coast  and  was 
easily  accessible  from  the  Mediterranean  sea  by  a  navigable 
river.  A  large  commerce  was  controlled  by  the  mer- 
chants, on  sea  and  on  land.  Tarsus,  while  one  of  three 
university  centers  of  the  period,  ranking  with  Athens  and 
Alexandria,  was  an  exceedingly  corrupt  city.     It  was  the 


Early  Life  13 

chief  seat  of  "a  special  Baal  worship  of  an  imposing  but 

unspeakably  degrading  character." 

Time. — The  date  of  Paul's  birth  is  nowhere  recorded, 
but  from  certain  dates  given  in  the  Acts,  from  which  we 
reckon  back,  it  is  thought  that  he  was  bom  about  the 
same  time  as  Jesus  Christ. 

Family. — We  are  left,  in  this  matter,  without  any 
uncertainty.  Paul  says,  **I  am  a  Pharisee,  the  son  of  a 
Pharisee"  (Acts  23:6).  I  was  '* circumcised  the  eighth 
day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  an 
Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  as  touching  the  law,  a  Phari- 
see" (Phil.  3:5).  Paul's  father  and  mother  were  Jews 
of  the  stricter  sort.  The  expression  which  Paul  uses,**  An 
Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews"  is  very  significant.  The  Jews 
of  the  Dispersion  were  known  at  this  time  as  Hebrews 
and  Hellenists.  The  Hebrews  clung  to  the  Hebrew 
tongue  and  followed  Hebrew  customs.  The  Hellenists 
spoke  Greek  by  preference  and  adopted,  more  or  less, 
Greek  views  and  civilization.  Paul  had  a  married  sister 
who  lived  in  Jerusalem  (Acts  23  :i6)  and  relatives  in  Rome 
(Rom.  167,  II). 

TRAINING 

Home. — The  instruction  received  in  the  home  has  often 
more  influence  and  is  more  lasting  than  any  other.  Paul 
received  the  usual  thorough  training  of  the  Jew  boy  accen- 
tuated in  his  case,  in  all  probability,  by  the  open  iniquity 
which  was  daily  practised  in  his  native  city.  We  never 
hear  him  expressing  any  regret  that  he  received  such 
thorough  religious  instruction  at  the  hands  of  his  parents. 

Mental,  Moral,  and  Religious. — Good  teachers  were 
employed  to  instruct  the  boy,  who  was  afterwards  to  make 
such  a  mark  in  the  world.  After  going  through  the 
school,  under  the  care  of  the  synagogue  at  Tarsus,  he 
was  sent  to  Jerusalem  to  complete  his  education.  Paul, 
speaking  in  this  chief  Jewish  city,  says,  I  was  **  brought 
up  in  this  city  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  and  taught  accord- 


14       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

ing  to  the  perfect  manner  of  the  law  of  the  fathers** 
(Acts  22:3).  It  is  very  evident  that  He  had  a  profound 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  from  the  large  use  he  makes 
of  them  in  his  Epistles.  He  seems  also  to  have  been 
quite  well  acquainted  with  Greek  philosophy  and  litera- 
ture. He  quotes  from  the  Greek  poets,  Aratus,  Epimeni- 
des,  and  Menander.  No  man  ever  studied  men  and  the 
motives  which  actuate  them  more  than  he.  His  inward 
hfe  was  pure  (Acts  23:1;  24:16).  Paul  differed  from 
Christ  in  that  he  was  a  man  who  sought  the  cities  and 
drew  his  illustrations  from  them,  while  Christ  was  much 
in  the  country  and  drew  his  illustrations  from  country  life. 
But  in  this  study  of  and  work  for  the  city  Paul  was  but 
carrying  out  the  commands  of  Christ. 

Industrial. — It  was  required  of  every  Jew  father  that 
his  boy  should  learn  some  trade  by  which  he  might  sup- 
port himself  should  necessity  require  it.  It  was  a  com- 
mon Jewish  proverb  that  "he  who  taught  his  son  no  tradt? 
taught  him  to  be  a  thief."  Paul  was  taught  the  trade  of 
tent  making.  **The  hair  of  the  Cicilian  goats  was  used 
to  make  a  cloth  which  was  especially  adapted  for  tents  for 
travelers,  merchants,  and  soldiers."  He  afterwards 
found  this  trade  very  useful  in  his  missionary  work 
(Acts  18:3;  20:34;  I  Cor.  4:12;  iThess.  2:9;  2  Thess. 
3:8). 

THE  WORLD  AS  PAUL  SAW  IT 

This  World  was  very  different  from  the  world  as  we 
see  it  to-day.  This  makes  it  difficult  for  us  to  appreciate 
his  work  at  its  full  value.  Now,  Christianity  is  the  great 
religion  of  the  world;  then  it  was  unknown,  outside  a  very 
limited  circle  of  believers.  The  state  and  society  were 
organized  upon  a  different  basis  and  were  in  strong  oppo- 
sition to  the  new  religion. 

Political. — The  world  was  under  the  dominion  of  the 
Romans.  They,  in  conquering  it,  broke  down  the  bar- 
riers that  had  separated  tribe  from  tribe  and  nation  from 


Early  Life  15 

nation.  Yet  it  was  a  comparatively  small  world  for  all 
interests  centered  about  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Before 
the  Romans  the  Greeks  had  been  in  possession  of  a  part 
of  this  world  and  had  permeated  and  penetrated  the  whole 
of  it,  with  their  art,  language,  and  commerce.  With  the 
upheavals  of  war  and  the  tribulations  that  had  befallen 
the  Jews,  they  were  everywhere  scattered  abroad  and  had 
their  synagogues  in  most  of  the  cities. 

Religious. — For  the  Romans,  Greeks,  and  conquered 
nations  and  tribes,  it  was  an  age  of  scepticism.  While  the 
gods  and  goddesses  in  the  great  heathen  temples  still  had 
their  rites  and  ceremonies  observed  yet  the  people,  to  a 
large  degree,  had  ceased  to  believe  in  them.  The  Roman 
writers  of  the  period  are  agreed  in  the  slackening  of  reli- 
gious ties  and  of  moral  restraints.  Yet  it  was  the  policy 
of  the  state  to  maintain  the  worship  of  the  gods  and  god- 
desses. Any  attack  upon  them  or  their  worship  was 
regarded  as  an  offense  against  the  state. 

The  Difficulties  of  the  situation  were  threefold:  (a) 
To  seek  to  overturn  the  religion  of  the  state  constituted 
an  offense  which  was  punishable  by  stripes  and  imprison- 
ment; (b)  To  rebuke  men's  sins  and  the  evils  of  the  times 
stirred  up  bitter  opposition  on  their  part;  (c)  To  proclaim 
a  crucified  and  risen  Christ  as  the  Messiah  to  the  Jews, 
when  they  expected  a  great  conquering  hero,  often  excited 
and  put  them  in  a  rage. 

That  Paul  could  preach  Christ  and  establish  churches, 
under  all  the  opposition  that  he  encountered,  shows  how 
fully  and  implicitly  he  believed  in  his  Lord. 

QUESTIONS 

What  impression  has  the  man,  Paul,  made  upon  the  world? 
What  was  his  work  as  an  apostle?  What  his  leading  thought? 
Where  is  the  place  of  his  birth?  What  can  be  said  of  his  family? 
How  was  he  educated  and  trained,  in  the  home,  in  school,  and  for 
a  trade?  What  was  the  political  and  religious  condition  of  the 
world  as  Paul  saw  it?  What  were  the  three  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  his  work  in  preaching  Christ? 


I.    PAUL'S    PREPARATION 


Study  II 
CONVERSION 

ANALYSIS 

Paul  the  Persecutor— Order  of  Events.  The  Inevitable  Conflict. 
Cruelty  of  the  Persecutor. 

Conversion — Cause.  Effects  (physical,  mental  and  spiritual,  pen- 
alty, relief  to  the  Christians,  triumph  of  Christ,  and  estimates 
of  the  results). 

Period  of  Waiting — Retirement  of  Paul.  Reasons.  The  Gospel 
for  the  Gentiles.    Paul  Brought  to  Antioch. 


*7 


I.     PAUL'S   PREPARATION 


Study  II 

CONVERSION 

PAUL,  THE  PERSECUTOR 

Order  of  Events. — It  seems  to  be  quite  evident,  when 
Paul  finished  his  studies  in  Jerusalem,  that  he  left  the  city 
and  engaged  in  work  somewhere  else,  during  the  years 
when  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus  were  preaching  and 
teaching.  In  all  probability  he  did  not  return  until  after 
the  crucifixion  and  resurrection  of  Christ. 

Paul  first  appears  in  the  narrative  of  the  Acts,  under 
the  name  of  Saul,  at  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen,  where  he 
takes    charge    of    the   clothes   of    the   witnesses    (Acts 

7:58,  59). 

From  the  Ascension  of  Christ  to  the  martyrdom  of 
Stephen  is  an  important  period  in  the  history  of  the  infant 
church.  On  and  after  the  day  of  Pentecost  (Acts  2)  the 
apostles  and  followers  of  the  risen  Lord  assumed  a  very 
bold  attitude.  They  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  openly  in 
the  temple  (Acts  3:12-16)  of  the  crime  of  putting  ''The 
Prince  of  Life'*  to  death  and  asserted  that  He  was  risen 
from  the  dead.  The  priests  and  Sadducees  strongly  ob- 
jected to  this  kind  of  preaching  (Acts  4),  laid  hands  upon 
the  preachers,  and  put  them  in  prison.  When  they  were 
examined  the  next  day  before  (Acts  4:5-13)  the  Jewish 
tribunal,  the  apostles  spoke  even  more  boldly  of  Jesus  and 
his  resurrection  and  refused  to  be  silenced  (Acts  4:13- 
20,  33).  Again  an  attempt  was  made  to  stop  the  preach- 
ing of  the  apostles,  but  they  refused  to  keep  still     (Acts 

19 


20       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

5 :  16-33).  A  remarkable  prison  deliverance  by  the  *' Angel 
of  the  Lord"  (Acts  5:19,  20)  gave  them  great  courage  in 
proclaiming  **all  the  words  of  this  life." 

At  this  point  Gamahel  (Acts  5:34-42)  proposes  in  the 
Jewish  council  a  new  policy,  which  was  to  let  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ  alone,  arguing  that  then  they  would  speedily 
give  up  their  preaching.  This  policy  was  adopted  (Acts 
5:40).  But  with  the  election  of  Stephen  as  a  deacon 
(Acts  6:1-8)  the  followers  of  Christ  began  to  multiply 
with  great  rapidity  and  it  was  soon  seen  that  "the  let- 
alone  policy"  was  a  mistake  (Acts  6:9-15).  Persecu- 
tion again  breaks  out  which  results  in  the  death  of  Stephen 
(Acts  7),  the  bringing  out  of  Saul  as  the  arch  persecutor, 
and  the  scattering  of  the  church  (Acts  8:1-4). 

The  Inevitable  Conflict. — Had  the  early  Christians 
been  content  to  have  proclaimed  Jesus  Christ  to  be  but  a 
great  teacher  and  prophet,  they  would  in  all  probability 
have  become  a  Jewish  sect  and  been  speedily  lost  to  sight. 
But  extraordinary  claims  were  put  forth  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  promised  Messiah  (Acts  2:25-40),  the  Son  of 
God  (Acts  3:26),  the  Forgiver  of  sins  (Acts  2:38;  S'-S^)* 
that  He  was  risen  from  the  dead  (Acts  4:33)»  that  obedi- 
ence to  Him  was  above  that  to  the  Jewish  rulers  (Acts 
4:18-20),  that  the  Jews  had  wickedly  slain  Christ  (Acts 
3:14,  15),  and  that  salvation  was  only  through  Him 
(Acts  4:12).  Further  than  this  they  wrought  miracles  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  (Acts  3:2-8,  16;  2:43;   5:12). 

It  was  very  soon  plainly  seen  that  Christianity  could 
keep  no  truce,  and  proposed  to  keep  no  truce,  which 
called  in  question  or  denied  the  supremacy  of  Christ. 

The  Cruelty  of  the  Persecutor. — To  a  man  of  Paul's 
temperament  and  zeal  there  could  be  no  half  way  measures 
in  a  case  like  this.  He  could  not  be  content  to  bide  his 
time.  Either  the  claims  of  Christ  were  true  or  false.  If 
false,  then  they  were  doing  harm  and  His  doctrine  and 
teaching  must  be  eradicated  at  any  cost.  All  the  aggres- 
sive forces  of  the  Jews  found  a  champion  in  this  Saul  of 


Conversion  2t 


Tarsus.  Drastic  measures  were  at  once  inaugurated. 
There  was  to  be  no  more  temporizing.  The  cruelty  and 
thoroughness  of  the  persecutor,  in  his  work,  are  shown  in 
his  instituting  a  house  to  house  canvass  seeking  for  the 
Christians  and  sparing  neither  age  nor  sex  (Acts  8: 1,  3). 

In  the  first  persecutions  the  Jews  had  been  content  to 
arrest  and  imprison  those  who  pubHcly  preached  Christ, 
but  now  the  pohcy  was  changed  and  Christianity  was  to 
be  exterminated  root  and  branch.  All  believers  in  Christ 
were  to  be  hunted  out. 

The  character  of  Saul,  the  arch  persecutor,  is  shown 
in  the  characterization  of  him  by  Luke,  when  he  repre- 
sented him  as  breathing  out,  *'threatenings  and  slaughter 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord"  (Acts  9:1). 

CONVERSION 

Cause. — The  book  of  the  Acts,  opened  at  one  place, 
shows  a  fierce  hater  and  persecutor  of  the  Christians  (8:3), 
opened  at  another  place  it  shows  this  same  persecutor  as 
an  ardent  and  enthusiastic  preacher  of  the  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  (13 :  16-39).  We  seek  for  the  cause  of  this  remark- 
able change.  Luke  tells  us  that  Saul  was  on  his  way  to 
Damascus,  seeking  victims  for  his  persecuting  zeal,  when 
Jesus  suddenly  appeared  to  him  and  Saul  was  changed 
from  a  persecutor  to  a  believer  in  Christ  (Acts  9:3-7). 
The  account  is  very  brief.  For  an  event  which  has  had 
such  tremendous  results,  the  narrator  is  very  reticent;  a 
light  from  heaven,  a  voice  speaking,  and  a  person  declar- 
ing that  He  is  Jesus.  Paul  gives  us  two  accounts  of  his 
conversion  and  how  it  took  place  (Acts  22:6-15; 
26:12-18).  The  men  who  were  with  Paul  saw  a  light 
and  heard  a  voice,  but  not  what  was  said.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  describe  or  exaggerate  what  took  place  in  Paul's 
mind  in  those  brief  moments  while  Jesus  talked  to  him; 
but  his  beliefs,  and  his  whole  life  plan  were  radically 
changed.  It  had  been  well  if  no  explanation  of  this  con- 
version had  been  attempted  and  the  great  fact  had  been 


21       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

left  to  stand  as  it  does  in  the  Acts.  Attempts,  however, 
have  been  made  to  minimize  the  power  of  tliis  conversion 
and  the  marvelous  and  sudden  change  it  wrought  in  the 
character  and  hfe  of  Paul.  Some  critics  seeking  a  natural, 
rather  than  a  supernatural,  cause  have  attributed  to  Paul 
certain  compunctions  of  conscience  and  misgivings  about 
his  persecution  of  the  Christians,  together  with  a  hot  day 
and  a  certain  temperament,  which  led  him  to  have  a  sub- 
jective experience,  which  he  thought  was  real.  But  there 
is  no  recorded  evidence  forthcoming  that  Paul  ever  had 
any  compunctions  of  conscience  about  persecuting  the 
Christians.  Paul  was  an  honest  man  to  the  very  core  of 
his  being;  in  the  two  accounts  he  gives  us  of  this  conver- 
sion, and  in  incidental  references  to  it,  he  never  even 
hints  at  any  such  state  of  mind.  The  expression  used  by 
Jesus,  "It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks" 
(Acts  9-5),  of  which  so  much  has  been  made,  means  no 
more  than  that  Saul's  opposition  and  hard  work  against 
the  Christians  (Acts  8:3;  9:1),  would  be  of  no  avail.  In 
doing  what  he  did  Paul  thought  he  was  doing  God's  ser- 
vice. Again  the  language  which  Paul  uses  and  the  refer- 
ences which  he  makes  to  this  appearance  of  Christ  forbid 
us  to  think  that  it  was  only  a  mere  vision  of  Christ  which 
he  saw.  *'He  ranks  it  as  the  last  of  the  appearances  of 
the  risen  Savior  to  His  disciples  and  places  it  on  the  same 
level  as  the  appearances  to  Peter,  to  James,  to  the  eleven, 
and  to  the  five  hundred"  (i  Cor.  15:1-8).  In  these 
appearances  Jesus  had  eaten  with  his  disciples  and  been 
touched  by  them  (John  20:24-31;  Luke  24:36-43), 
appearing  as  a  real  being,  according  to  the  narrative. 

*'It  was  the  appearance  to  Paul  of  the  risen  Lord, 
which  made  him  a  Christian,  gave  him  a  gospel  to  preachy, 
and  sent  him  forth  as  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles." 

The  time  of  Paul's  conversion  was  about  36  A.D. 

Effects. — There  is  no  question  as  to  the  very  marked 
results  which  followed  the  appearance  of  the  risen  Lord 
to  Saul  on  the  way  to  Damascus. 


Conversion  2^ 

1.  Physical.  He  was  smitten  with  blindness  (Acts 
9:8),  and  was  without  food  for  three  days  (Acts  9:9). 
His  sight  was  restored  by  Ananias  at  the  command  of  the 
Lord  (Acts  9:15-18). 

2.  Mental  and  spiritual.  His  whole  outlook  upon  life 
and  its  significance  was  changed.  He  received  baptism 
and  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  (Acts  9:17).  From 
being  a  persecutor  he  became  an  enthusiastic  witness  for 
Christ  (Acts  9:20-22). 

3.  Penalty.  The  consequences  of  his  former  course 
of  action  were  visited  upon  him;  for  the  Jews  sought  to 
kill  him  and  the  disciples  of  Christ  were  at  first  afraid  of 
him  (Acts  9:23-26).  But  Barnabas  vouched  for  his  sin- 
cerity (Acts  9:27). 

4.  The  relief  to  the  Christians  at  Damascus,  when 
Saul  was  converted,  was  very  great.  They  had  looked 
forward  to  his  coming  with  dread. 

5.  The  triumph  of  Christ.  In  Paul  Christianity  won 
its  most  efficient  missionary  and,  next  to  Christ,  its  great- 
est thinker,  preacher,  and  teacher. 

6.  The  estimates  of  the  results  of  this  conversion  of 
Saul  cannot  be  too  large;  they  are  world  wide. 

PERIOD  OF  WAITING 

Retirement  of  Paul. — From  the  conversion  of  Paul 
(Acts  9:3-7)  to  his  call  to  the  missionary  work  (Acts 
13:2)  is  a  period  of  about  ten  years.  During  this  time 
we  have  only  incidental  notices  of  him  and  what  he  was 
doing.  When  we  think  of  it  there  is  nothing  strange  in 
this  retirement.  It  is  the  divine  method,  as  in  the  case  of 
Moses,  when  a  man  is  to  do  a  very  large  work  for  God 
that  he  should  be  well  prepared  for  it.  The  chief  scrip- 
ture notices  of  this  period  of  retirement  are  found  in 
Acts  9:19-30;  Gal.  1:15-24;  (Acts  11:25-30;  12:25). 
From  these  notices  it  is  quite  plain:  (a)  That  Paul  retired 
into  Arabia,  (b)  That  he  preached  in  Damascus  and  Jeru- 
salem, but  was  compelled  to  flee  from  both  cities  on 


24       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

account  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Jews,  who  sought  his 
Hfe.  (c)  That  he  went  to  Tarsus  and  **into  the  regions  of 
Syria  and  Cihcia."  (d)  That  he  came  to  Antioch,  where 
there  was  a  great  revival  (Acts  11:25-30),  at  the  sohci- 
tation  of  Barnabas.  Luke  in  his  account  (Acts  9:19-30) 
does  not  mention  the  trip  to  Arabia  spoken  of  by  Paul  in 
his  epistle  to  the  Galatians  (1:15-24).  It  must  be 
remembered  however  that  each  is  writing  from  a  differ- 
ent point  of  view.  Luke  is  a  historian  recording  only  the 
most  salient  facts  and  passing  over  the  mention  of  many 
events.  We  see  this  in  the  compression  in  eight  and  a 
half  short  chapters  of  the  events  of  the  three  missionary 
journeys.  Paul  writing  to  the  Galatians  is  anxious  to 
establish  the  fact  that  he  received  his  commission,  as  an 
apostle,  not  from  man,  but  from  Christ  himself  (Gal.  I  :i); 
hence  he  enters  more  into  details  and  we  get  from  him  the 
inside  view.  The  accounts  of  Luke  and  Paul  if  read  care- 
fully, keeping  in  mind  all  the  circumstances,  are  seen  not 
to  be  in  any  way  antagonistic,  but  to  supplement  each 
other. 

Reasons. — Many  reasons  have  been  given  for  the 
retirement  of  Paul  to  Arabia,  and  what  seems  to  be  the 
period  of  comparative  inactivity  that  followed  it. 

1 .  Fierce  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  whenever 
Paul  attempted  to  preach,  as  in  the  cities  of  Damascus 
and  Jerusalem. 

2.  A  preparation  of  mind  and  heart  for  his  great 
work.  As  a  thinker  he  needed  to  look  upon  all  sides  of 
the  gospel,  which  he  was  afterwards  to  preach  so  effect- 
ively to  the  Gentiles. 

3.  A  careful  rereading  of  the  Old  Testament.  As  a 
Jew  he  had  read  the  Scriptures  in  one  way,  now  he  reread 
them  seeing  Christ  there. 

4.  System  of  doctrine.  He  may  at  this  time  have 
wrought  out  that  magnificent  system  of  Christian  doctrine 
which  he  afterwards  presented  to  the  churches  in  his 
Epistles. 


Conversion  25 

The  Gospel  for  the  Gentiles — While  Paul  was  wait- 
ing for  the  call  to  his  great  missionary  work  there  came  a 
new  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  early  church,  and  a  new 
era  was  inaugurated.  In  the  tenth  and  eleventh  chapters 
of  the  book  of  Acts  Luke  tells  us  of  the  conversion  of  the 
Gentile  Cornelius,  "a.  centurion  of  the  band  called  the 
Italian  band"  (Acts  iO:i-8),  and  of  the  instructions  given 
to  Peter  to  receive  him  (Acts  10:9-44). 

Cornelius  was  the  first  Gentile  convert  and  we  note 
here  the  beginning  of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the 
Gentiles,  which  was  to  have  such  large  results.  **The 
day  of  Pentecost,  the  conversion  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  the 
call  of  Cornelius  and  the  foundation  of  the  Gentile  church 
at  Antioch  are,  if  we  are  to  pick  and  choose  amid  the 
events  related  by  Luke,  the  turning  points  of  the  earliest 
ecclesiastical  history. ' '  How  great  and  epoch  making  was 
this  new  departure  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  receiving  them  into  the  church,  is  shown  in  the  elev- 
enth chapter  of  the  Acts  (ii:i-i8)  where,  when  Peter 
goes  up  to  Jerusalem,  he  is  put  on  the  defensive  and  com- 
pelled to  explain  why  he  received  Cornelius  into  the 
church.  When  however  the  matter  was  fully  explained 
the  early  disciples  rejoiced  over  the  fact  that  to  the  Gen- 
tiles was  granted  by  God  repentance  unto  life  (Acts 
11:18). 

Paul  Brought  to  Antioch  by  Barnabas,  on  account  of 
the  revival  that  had  broken  out  in  that  city,  is  another 
step  which  he  takes  up  to  his  work  as  the  great  missionary 
to  the  Gentiles  (Acts  11:25-26).  It  was  here  that  the 
disciples  were  first  called  Christians  (Acts  11:26).  It 
was  from  this  city  that  Paul  went  forth  on  his  missionary 
journeys  and  it  was  here  that  he  returned  (Acts  13:1-3; 
14:26;   15:24-41;   18:22;   18:23). 

'*  Antioch  was  the  capital  of  the  Greek  kingdom  of 
Syria,  and  afterwards  the  residence  of  the  Roman  gover- 
nor of  the  province.  It  was  made  a  free  city  by  Pompey 
the   Great,  and   contained   an    aqueduct,   amphitheater, 


26       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


baths,  and  colonnades.  It  was  situated  on  the  Orontes 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Its  sea- 
port was  Seleucia.  It  was  intimately  connected  with 
apostolic  Christianity.  Here  the  first  Gentile  church  was 
formed"  (Acts  1 1:20,  2l). 

QUESTIONS 

Give  the  order  of  events  which  led  to  the  persecution  in 
which  Paul  was  so  prominent.  Why  was  the  conflict  between 
Christianity  and  Judaism  inevitable?  What  can  be  said  of  the 
cruelty  of  raul,  the  persecutor?  Give  the  cause  of  Paul's  conver- 
sion. What  were  some  of  the  effects?  What  can  be  said  of  the 
period  of  waiting;  the  retirement  of  Paul?  What  are  some  of 
the  probable  reasons  for  this  retirement?  What  can  be  said  about 
the  beginning  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles?  By  whom  was  Paul 
brought  to  Antioch  and  for  what  purpose?  In  what  relation  does 
Antioch  stand  to  the  missionary  journeys  of  Paul? 


II.    PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Acts  13:1-28:31 


Study  III 
FIRST   MISSIONARY   JOURNEY 

Scripture^  Acts  13  :i-i4  .'26 

ANALYSIS 

Introduction  to  the  Three  Missionary  Journeys — The  call.  The 
Significance.  Extent  and  Time.  The  Record.  Other  Long 
Journeys.     Method  of  Work  and  Support.    The  Message. 

The  First  Journey — Preparation.  Companions.  Paul  Comes  to 
the  Front.    Time  and  Extent.     Rulers. 

The  Itinerary — Salamis.  Paphos.  Perga.  Antioch.  Iconium. 
Lystra  and  Derbe.     The  Return  Journey. 

The  Jerusalem  Council — One  Problem  of  the  Early  Church.  The 
Decision  of  the  Council. 


27 


II.     PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Acts  13  : 1-28 .31 


Study  III 

FIRST   MISSIONARY    JOURNEY 

Scripture,  Acts  13  :i-i4 :26 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  THREE  MISSIONARY 
JOURNEYS 

Before  taking  up  the  study  of  the  first  missionary  jour- 
ney, attention  is  called  to  certain  points  which  should  be 
considered  in  regard  to  all  three  of  them  (Acts  13:1- 
21:17). 

We  have  now  arrived  at  what  we  might  call  the  water- 
shed of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Hitherto  we  have  had 
various  scenes,  characters,  personages  to  consider.  Hence- 
forth Paul,  his  labors,  his  disputes,  his  speeches,  occupy 
the  entire  field,  and  every  other  man  who  is  introduced 
into  the  narrative  plays  a  subordinate  part. 

Our  attention  is  now  turned  from  the  Jewish  world, 
considered  so  largely  in  the  first  twelve  chapters  of  the 
Acts,  to  the  heathen  world  and  the  struggle  which  Paul 
and  his  fellow  laborers  had  with  it,  in  bringing  it  to  Christ. 

The  Call  to  this  work  was  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
city  of  Antioch  (Acts  13:1-4).  Luke  says,  "As  they 
ministered  to  the  Lord  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Ghost  said, 
separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I 
have  called  them"  (Acts  13:2,  4).  Contrast  this  with 
the  beginning  of  the  work  in  Jerusalem  which  was  also 
inaugurated  by  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
(Acts  1:14;  2:1-4).     This  call  was  in  accordance  with 

29 


30       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

what  Jesus  had  told  his  disciples  before  His  ascension 
(Acts  i:8). 

The  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  directing  and  pro- 
moting this  missionary  work  is  very  manifest  (Acts 
13:2,  4,  9>  52;  i5-'8,  28;  16:6;  19:2,  6;  20:23,  28; 
2i:ii;  28:25). 

The  Significance  and  importance  of  these  journeys 
cannot  be  overestimated.  It  is  probable,  when  the  call 
came,  that  Paul  had  but  little  idea  of  their  magnitude  and 
that  in  the  end  they  would  result  in  changing  not  only  the 
religion,  but  the  philosophy  and  civilization  of  the  world. 

Extent  and  Time. — It  is  estimated  that  the  first 
journey  was  1,400  miles  long,  the  second  3,200,  and  the 
third  3,500,  making  8,100  miles  traveled  by  Paul. 
The  time  occupied  for  the  three  journeys  was  about 
ten  years. 

The  Record  of  the  three  missionary  journeys,  is  briefly 
comprised  in  eight  and  a  half  chapters  (Acts  13:1-21:17), 
and  it  does  not  profess  to  be  a  complete  one.  Only  the 
most  striking  incidents  and  events,  and  probably  not  all 
of  these,  are  given.  There  were  side  trips  not  recorded 
by  Luke;  Paul  speaks  of  one  to  Illyricum  (Rom.  15:19), 
and  of  others  in  which  he  underwent  great  perils  (2  Cor. 
11:24-27). 

The  purpose  of  Luke  seems  to  be  to  show  how,  in 
accordance  with  the  command  and  promise  of  Christ,  the 
knowledge  and  power  of  the  gospel  was  spread,  beginning 
in  Jerusalem,  through  Judea,  and  Samaria,  throughout 
the  heathen  world  (Acts  1:8);  everything  seems  to  be 
made  to  bend  to  this  purpose.  Certainly  there  could  be 
no  more  graphic  and  concise  account  of  these  epoch 
making  events  than  that  given  us  by  this  wonderful 
narrator. 

Other  Long  Journeys. — i.  Paul's  voyage  to  Rome  as 
a  prisoner.  Luke  gives  a  full  account  of  this  voyage,  its 
many  interesting  incidents  (Acts  27:1-28:16),  and  of  the 
circumstances  which  led  up  to  it  (Acts  21:17-27:1). 


First  Missionary  Journey  31 

2.   There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  Paul  was 

released  at  the  end  of  his  two  years  imprisonment  in 

Rome  (Acts  28:30)  and  that  he  made  an  Eastern  journey 

as  far  as  Colossae  and  a  Western  journey  as  far  as  Spain. 

Note. — These  last  journeys  are  considered  in  chapter  ten. 

Method  of  Work  and  Support. — Paul  and  his  com- 
panion, or  company,  when  they  entered  into  a  city  would 
first  seek  for  a  lodging  and  then  for  work,  going  from  one 
tent  maker's  door  to  another  until  finally  a  place  was 
found.  Then  upon  the  following  Sabbath  they  would 
seek  the  Jewish  synagogue  and  after  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  when  an  opportunity  was  given,  Paul  would 
arise  and  begin  to  speak,  (Acts  13:14-16)  leading  up 
through  the  Old  Testament  message  (Acts  13:17-43)  to 
the  great  topic  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  promised  Messiah 
and  closing  with  an  exhortation  to  believe  on  Him.  Such 
a  speech  would  naturally  excite  great  interest  coming  from 
the  lips  of  one,  who  by  his  speech  and  the  handling  of  the 
Old  Testament,  would  be  recognized  as  a  cultivated  Jew- 
ish Rabbi.  Paul  would  be  asked  to  speak  again  the  next 
Sabbath  (Acts  13:44-52),  the  synagogue  would  be  full  of 
people  and  he  would  set  forth  Jesus  Christ  more  plainly 
as  the  Savior  both  of  Jew  and  Gentile.  This  would  gen- 
erally be  a  signal  for  the  Jews  to  contradict  and  oppose 
Paul,  but  some  Jews  would  believe  with  a  number  of 
Gentiles.  This  would  be  the  starting  point  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  in  that  community.  The  Jews,  however,  who 
were  untouched  by  what  Paul  preached,  and  who  looked 
upon  him  as  the  destroyer  of  their  religion,  would  raise  a 
cry  against  him  and  seek  to  have  him  expelled  from  the 
city.  This  experience  was  frequently  repeated.  There 
were  great  difficulties  also  to  be  encountered  when  the 
heathen  thought  that  their  worship  was  in  danger  (Acts 
19:20-30). 

The  Message  which  Paul  bore  to  Jew  and  Gentile  was 
the  moving  force  of  all  his  work.  The  starting  point  was 
the  memorable  day  when  Jesus  Christ  appeared  to  him  on 


32       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

his  way  to  Damascus.  Paul  believed  that  he  received  his 
commission  as  an  apostle  directly  from  Jesus  Christ 
(Gal.  1:1-24).  The  four  main  positions  of  Paul,  set 
forth  so  plainly  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  are:  (a) 
All  are  guilty  before  God  (Jew  and  Gentile),  (b)  All 
need  a  Savior,  (c)  Christ  died  for  all.  (d)  We  are  all 
(through  faith)  one  body  in  Christ.  Paul  leaves  us  in  no 
doubt  as  to  how  he  regards  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  to  him 
the  Son  of  God,  through  whom  God  created  all  things 
and  who  is  the  Divine  Savior  of  man  (Eph.  3:9-21; 
Phil.  2:9-11;  Rom.  9:5).  There  is  no  doubt,  no  hesi- 
tation on  Paul's  part  in  delivering  his  message.  He  is  a 
witness,  testifying  to  the  glory  of  his  Divine  Lord.  He 
is  a  messenger  who  cannot  alter  or  tamper  with  that  which 
has  been  entrusted  to  him.  To  the  rude  inhabitants  of 
the  mountain  regions  of  Asia  Minor,  to  the  philosophers 
in  Athens,  to  the  Roman  governors  in  Caesarea,  to  the 
dwellers  in  Corinth  and  in  Rome  the  purport  of  the  Mes- 
sage is  always  the  same. 

THE  FIRST  JOURNEY 
Scripture ^  Acts  13:1-14:28 

Preparation. — First,  on  the  part  of  Paul.  About  ten 
years  have  passed  since  his  conversion.  During  this  time 
we  have  few  notices  of  him,  but  he  was  undoubtedly 
making  ready  for  this  very  important  work  of  a  mission- 
ary. Second,  on  the  part  of  the  church.  The  first  step 
had  already  been  taken,  in  the  conversion  of  Cornelius,  in 
the  giving  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentile  world.  Third, 
Paul  was  brought  to  Antioch  by  Barnabas  to  assist  the 
church  in  the  great  revival  which  broke  out  in  that  second 
early  center  of  Christian  work  and  teaching  (Acts  11:21- 
26).  Fourth,  the  large  success  of  the  disciples  who  went 
throughout  Judea  and  Samaria,  preaching  the  gospel,  after 
the  death  of  Stephen  (Acts  7:5-8:4;  11:19-21)  made 
possible  this  new  aggressive  movement  to  the  regions 


First  Missionary  Journey  ;^^ 

beyond.  Fifth,  the  Christian  prophets  and  teachers  at 
Antioch  ** ministered  to  the  Lord  and  fasted."  They 
desired  to  know  the  will  of  the  Lord  and  it  was  made 
known  to  them  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  "And  when  they 
had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  hands  on  them,  they 
sent  them  away."  **So  they  being  sent  forth  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto  Seleucia  (Acts  13:3,  4). 

Companions  of  the  Journey,  Barnabas  and  Saul  (Acts 
13:2)  and  John  Mark  (Acts  13:5).  Barnabas  has  been 
called  the  discoverer  of  Saul.  He  was  probably  a  convert 
of  the  day  of  Pentecost.  He  was  a  land  proprietor  of  the 
island  of  Cyprus  and  early  showed  his  zeal  for  Christ  by 
selling  his  land  and  devoting  the  proceeds  to  the  cause  in 
which  he  so  heartily  believed  (Acts  4:36,  37).  He 
early  sought  out  and  manifested,  in  a  very  practical  way, 
his  friendship  for  Paul  (Acts  9:27;  11:22,  25,  30; 
12:25).  John  Mark,  who  started  on  this  journey  with 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  was  a  nephew  of  Barnabas  (Acts 
13:5,  13;   12:25;  Col.  4:10). 

Paul  Comes  to  the  Front  when  his  company  leave 
Paphos  and  ever  after  he  has  the  first  place  (Acts  13: 
13).  Here  also  he  is  called  Paul  for  the  first  time,  a 
name  which  he  retains. 

Extent  and  Time. — This  was  the  shortest  of  the  three 
journeys  (about  1,400  miles).  It  extended  over  the  island 
of  Cyprus  and  a  part  of  Asia  Minor.  In  time  it  occupied 
about  three  years,  47-50  A.D. 

Rulers. — Claudius  was  the  emperor  of  Rome,  since 
41  A.D.  Herod  Agrippa  was  king  of  Chalcis,  Ananias 
was  high  priest  in  Jerusalem. 

THE  ITINERARY 

Note. — The  cities,  which  Paul  visited  in  this  and  the  other 
journeys,  should  be  located  upon  the  map  by  the  student.  It  will 
greatly  increase  the  interest  to  consult  some  good  Bible  diction- 
ary and  get  well  acquainted  also  with  the  history  of  the  places. 

Salamis,  on  the  island  of  Cyprus,  was  the  first  place 


34       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

reached,  after  sailing  from  Seleucia  (Acts  13 :4,  5)  the  sea- 
port of  Antioch.  It  was  the  natural  thing  to  go  first  to 
this  island  as  it  had  been  the  home  of  Barnabas  and  many- 
Jews  had  settled  there;  it  was  about  eighty  miles  to  the 
southwest  of  Seleucia. 

Paphos. — After  passing  through  the  island  from  east 
to  west  the  missionaries  came  to  Paphos.  This  city  was 
the  seat  of  the  worship  of  Venus,  the  goddess  of  love. 
This  worship  was  carried  on  with  the  most  degrading 
of  immoralities. 

The  chief  incidents  in  the  ministry  here  were  the  smit- 
ing of  the  Jewish  sorcerer,  Elymas,  with  blindness  for  his 
persistent  opposition  and  the  conversion  of  the  deputy  of 
the  country,  Sergius  Paulus  (Acts  13:6-12).  Saul  is 
filled  with  an  unusual  power  of  the  Spirit  for  his  work  in 
this  city  and  takes  the  name  of  Paul.  It  is  now  no  longer 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  but  Paul  and  Barnabas. 

Perga  in  Pamphylia — (Acts  13:13,  14).  The  mis- 
sionaries take  ship  from  Paphos  and  sail  in  a  north-easterly 
direction  across  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  this  city  of  Asia 
Minor.  John  Mark,  doubtless  appalled  by  the  difficulties 
which  had  already  been  experienced  and  now  that  the 
journey  seemed  to  promise  still  greater  hardships,  left  the 
company  and  returned  to  Jerusalem. 

Antioch  in  Pisidia  (Acts  13:14-52)  was  about  ninety 
miles  directly  north  of  Perga.  It  was  a  good-sized  city 
with  a  large  Jewish  population.  Luke's  account  of  this 
visit  is  notable  in  that  we  have  the  chief  points  in  Paul's 
speech  in  the  synagogue  set  down.  This  address  is  worth 
study  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the  first  sermon  of  Paul  of 
which  we  have  any  record,  and  is  probably  the  usual  way 
in  which  he  began  his  work  in  a  great  many  Jewish  syna- 
gogues. Paul  is  asked  to  speak  to  the  assembled  Jews. 
He  begins  upon  the  common  ground  of  the  history  of 
Israel.  He  declares  the  promise  of  a  Savior.  This 
Savior  is  to  be  of  the  seed  of  David.  Then  Paul  sets 
forth  that  Jesus  is  the  promised  Savior.     He  reminds 


First  Missionary  Journey  35 

them  of  the  testimony  of  John  and  of  those  who  had  seen 
Jesus  before  and  after  His  resurrection.  He  declares 
unto  them  the  glad  tidings  of  a  Savior.  He  warns  them 
of  their  peril  in  rejecting  Jesus  Christ.  Paul  is  invited  to 
speak  upon  the  next  Sabbath,  but  there  is  a  division  and 
those  who  oppose  Paul  try  to  drive  him  out  of  their  city 
which  they  finally  succeed  in  doing.  But  the  Word  has 
fallen  into  good  soil  and  there  is  the  beginning  of  a  Chris- 
tian church. 

Iconium  in  Lycaonia  (Acts  14:1-5)  is  over  one  hun- 
dred miles  distant  from  Antioch.  The  missionaries  were 
now  in  a  country  of  a  people  with  strange  ways.  They 
remained  here  for  some  time  and  their  ministry  was 
attested  by  *' signs  and  wonders."  But  again  some  of 
the  Jews  opposed  them  and  stirred  up  the  multitude.  A 
plan  was  made  by  the  ringleaders  of  the  opposition  to 
stone  them,  but  being  made  aware  of  it  Paul  and  Barnabas 
"fled  unto  Derbe  and  Lystra."  They  had,  however,  the 
satisfaction  of  leaving  behind  '*a  great  multitude  of  believ- 
ing Jews  and  Greeks'*  (Acts  14:1). 

Lystra  and  Derbe  in  Lycaonia  (Acts  14:6-21). — 
**And  there  they  preached  the  gospel."  There  is  no 
mention  of  any  Jewish  synagogue  at  either  of  these  cities. 
The  inhabitants  were  worshippers  of  the  heathen  gods. 
The  healing  of  a  lame  man  at  Lystra  brought  Paul  and 
Barnabas  directly  into  touch  with  the  heathen  priests  and 
populace.  When  they  saw  this  miracle  of  healing,  they 
thought  that  the  gods  had  come  down  to  earth  in  the  like- 
ness of  men.  Barnabas  was  called  Jupiter  "and  Paul 
Mercurius,  because  he  was  the  chief  speaker."  When 
Paul  and  Barnabas  sought  to  restrain  the  priests  and 
people  from  doing  sacrifice  to  them,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  what  words  Paul  uses  in  addressing  them.  As  with 
the  Jews  he  here  seeks  first  of  all  a  common  ground.  He 
says,  "We  are  men  of  like  passions  with  you  and  preach 
unto  you  that  you  should  turn  from  these  vanities  unto 
the  living  God,  which  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the 


36       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

sea,  and  all  things  that  are  therein;  who  in  times  past 
suffered  all  nations  to  walk  in  their  own  ways.  Never- 
theless He  left  not  Himself  without  a  witness,  in  that  He 
did  good,  and  gave  us  rain  from  heaven,  and  fruitful  sea- 
sons, filling  our  hearts  with  food  and  gladness"  (Acts 
14:15-17).  We  find  the  same  earnestness  the  same  desire 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  here  as  to  the  Jews 
elsewhere.  But  the  Jews  who  had  made  trouble  in  Anti- 
och  and  Iconium  for  the  missionaries  came  to  Lystra  and, 
forming  a  plot  against  Paul,  persuaded  the  people  and 
stoned  him  so  that  he  was  drawn  out  of  the  city,  they 
** supposing  he  had  been  dead."  But  he  was  not  dead,  he 
soon  rose  up  and  came  back  into  the  city  and  the  next 
day  departed  with  Barnabas  to  Derbe,  where  they 
preached  the  gospel  and  taught  many. 

The  Return  Journey  is  very  briefly  recorded  (Acts 
14:21-28).  The  missionaries  returned  through  the  same 
cities,  Lystra,  Iconium,  Antioch,  and  so  back  to  Perga. 
But  from  the  last  city  they  did  not  sail  to  the  island  of 
Cyprus,  but  took  a  different  course,  westerly  along  the 
coast  to  Attalia  in  Pamphylia  and  from  thence  they  sailed 
to  Antioch,  the  starting  point  of  their  trip.  During  this 
return  journey  they  proved  to  their  friends  and  enemies 
that,  in  departing  from  the  cities  where  mobs  threatened 
them,  it  was  through  no  cowardice  on  their  part,  but  for 
other  reasons  and  for  the  purpose  of  preaching  the  gospel 
in  the  regions  beyond.  They  ''confirmed  the  souls  of  the 
disciples  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the  faith."  They 
also  further  perfected  the  organization  of  the  churches, 
ordaining  elders  in  every  church.  They  prayed  with  and 
for  the  disciples  and  commended  them  to  the  Lord. 

When  the  missionaries  at  last  entered  the  city  of  Anti- 
och, "they  rehearsed  all  that  God  had  done  v;ith  them, 
and  how  He  had  opened  the  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles." There  must  have  been  great  rejoicing  over  this 
happy  return  of  Paul  and  Barnabas. 


First  Missionary  Journey  37 

THE  JERUSALEM  COUNCIL 
Acts  13:1-35 

One  Problem  of  the  Early  Church  was  how  to  recon- 
cile the  commandments  of  Moses  with  the  new  law  of 
liberty  in  Jesus  Christ.  Ought  the  Gentile  Christians  to 
observe  the  law  of  Moses?  Ought  they  to  become  Jews 
before  they  became  Christians?  Were  there  to  be  two 
churches?  One  for  Jewish  and  another  for  Gentile  Chris- 
tians? These  questions  are  obsolete  now,  but  then  they 
were  burning  ones  and  hotly  debated.  Hence  this  Jeru- 
salem Council,  where  the  matter  was  debated  and  settled, 
was  exceedingly  important  and  fraught  with  great  and 
grave  consequences  for  the  future  welfare  of  the  church. 

Because  certain  of  the  Jewish  brethren  came  to  Anti- 
och  and  began  to  teach  that  it  was  necessary  to  salvation 
that  a  certain  Jewish  ordinance  and  the  law  of  Moses  be 
kept,  it  was  determined  to  send  Paul  and  Barnabas  to 
Jerusalem. 

A  council  of  '*the  apostles  and  elders  came  together 
for  to  consider  of  this  matter*'  (Acts  15:6).  At  this 
council  in  Jerusalem,  Peter,  Paul,  Barnabas,  and  James 
were  the  chief  speakers.  All  matters  were  carefully  gone 
over.  Of  all  the  speeches  made,  Luke  records  only  the  two 
made  by  Peter  (Acts  15:7-12)  and  James  (Acts  15:13- 
2i),  which  must  have  embodied  the  sense  of  the  meeting 
in  that  both  spoke  for  liberty,  from  the  Mosaic  yoke,  in 
Christ. 

The  Decision  of  the  council  was  for  the  freedom  of  the 
Gentile  Christians  and  that  they  should  not  be  obliged  to 
become  Jews  before  they  became  Christians.  Thus  was 
one  of  the  grave  crises  of  the  early  church  safely  passed. 
Paul  and  Barnabas  went  back  happy  in  that  great  victory 
for  Gentile  Christianity  to  their  brethren  at  Antioch. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  while  the 
question  of  the  relation  of  the  Gentile  Christians  to  the 
law  of  Moses  was  decided  at  this  council,  it  was  one 


38       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

which  came  up  again  and  again  to  hamper  and  bother 
Paul  in  his  missionary  work. 

QUESTIONS 

What  is  to  be  considered  in  the  introduction  to  the  three  mis- 
sionary journeys?  By  whom  was  the  call  to  this  work?  What  is 
the  significance  of  the  journeys?  The  extent  and  time?  What 
can  be  sajd  of  the  record?  Were  there  other  long  journeys  by 
Paul?  What  was  the  method  of  work  and  support?  What  was 
the  message?  The  first  journey;  what  was  the  preparation  for  it? 
Who  the  companions?  lime  and  extent?  Rulers?  Give  some 
of  the  incidents  that  took  place  upon  the  Itinerary,  at  Salamis, 
Paphos,  Perga,  Antioch,  Iconium,  Lystra,  and  Derbe?  What 
can  be  said  of  the  return  journey?  Why  was  the  Jerusalem  Coun- 
cil necessary,  and  what  was  decided  by  it? 


II.    PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Acts  13:1-28:31 


Study  IV 
SECOND   MISSIONARY   JOURNEY 

Scripture,  Acts  1^:36-18:22 
ANALYSIS 

Second  Missionary  Journey — The  Inception.     The  Companions. 

The  Wide  Scope.    Value  to  the  World.    Time  and  Rulers. 

Epistles  to  the  Churches. 
The  Itinerary — Through   Asia    Minor.     In    Europe    (Philippi. 

Thessalonica.     Berea.     Athens.     Corinth). 
Ihe  Return  Voyage — Ephesus.    Caesarea.    Antioch. 


II.    PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Scripture,  Acts  ij  :i-28:si 


Study  IV 
SECOND   MISSIONARY   JOURNEY 

Scripture ^  Acts  1^:36-18:22 

The  Inception. — After  the  Jerusalem  Council  Paul 
returned  to  Antioch  where  he  spent  some  time,  "teaching 
and  preaching  the  Word  of  the  Lord  with  many  others 
also."  "And  some  days  after  Paul  said  unto  Barnabas, 
Let  us  go  again  and  visit  our  brethren  in  every  city  where 
we  have  preached  the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and  see  how 
they  do"  (Acts  15:35,  36).  He  felt  that  he  must  be 
advancing  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Companions  (Acts  15:37-40). — Barnabas  pro- 
posed to  take  John  Mark,  his  nephew,  with  them  on  this 
second  journey.  But  Paul  strenuously  objected,  basing 
his  objection  on  the  ground  that  this  young  man  had 
deserted  them  (Acts  13:13)  at  a  very  important  juncture 
in  the  first  journey.  We  are  told  that  the  contention  was 
very  sharp  between  Barnabas  and  Paul  over  this  matter. 
It  was  finally  settled  by  Barnabas  taking  John  Mark  and 
sailing  for  the  island  of  Cyprus  and  Paul  choosing  Silas 
for  his  companion.  When  Paul  came  to  Derbe  and 
Lystra  Timotheus  was  invited  to  join  him,  which  he  did 
(Acts  16:1-4).  Luke,  the  author  of  the  Acts,  goes  with 
this  company  into  Macedonia  (Acts  l6:io).  We  can 
trace  Luke's  connection  with  the  missionaries  by  the 
"we"  passages. 


42       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

That  Paul  was  afterwards  reconciled  to  Barnabas  and 
John  Mark  is  shown  by  his  kindly  mention  of  them  in  his 
Epistles  (i  Cor.  9:6;  Col.  4:10;  2  Tim  4:11; 
Philem.  24). 

The  Wide  Scope  is  a  marked  feature  of  this  journey  of 
about  3,200  miles. 

The  first  journey  was  through  Cyprus,  where  Barnabas 
was  well  acquainted,  and  through  that  section  of  Asia 
Minor  roundabout  the  province  of  Cilicia,  where  Paul  was 
practically  at  home.  Paul  was  born  in  Tarsus  in  Cilicia 
and  it  was  to  this  region  that  he  went  for  some  part  of 
the  time  between  his  conversion  and  his  call  to  the  mis- 
sionary work  (Acts  9:30;  Gal.  1:21). 

The  second  journey  carries  Paul  into  entirely,  to  him, 
new  provinces  of  Asia  Minor  and  into  Macedonia  and 
Achaia.  He  comes  into  close  contact  not  only  with  the 
rough  native  populations  of  the  Asian  provinces  but  with 
the  cultivated  philosophers  of  Greece  and  the  effeminate 
voluptuaries  of  the  heathen  temples.  Here  are  new  tests 
for  this  missionary  and  the  gospel  which  he  preaches,  but 
he  meets  them  all.  This  journey  had  a  large  significance 
for  the  spread  of  Christianity.  Had  the  gospel  failed  to 
meet  the  wants  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  there 
would  have  been  no  further  triumphs  for  it. 

Value  to  the  World — *'This  journey  was  not  only  the 
greatest  which  Paul  achieved  but  perhaps  the  most  mo- 
mentous recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  human  race.  In 
its  issues  it  far  outrivalled  the  expedition  of  Alexander  the 
Great  when  he  carried  the  arms  and  civilization  of  Greece 
into  the  heart  of  Asia,  or  that  of  Caesar  when  he  landed 
on  the  shores  of  Britian,  or  even  the  voyage  of  Columbus 
when  he  discovered  a  new  world." 

To  Paul's  turning  westward,  instead  of  eastward, 
through  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  and  his  entering  upon 
his  work  in  Macedonia  (Acts  16:7-11)  Europe  to-day 
owes  her  advancement  and  Christian  civiUzation.  It  is 
stating  a  sober  fact  when  it  is  asserted  that  without  Chris- 


Second  Missionary  Journey  43 

tianity  Europeans  would  now  be  worshipping  idols,  the 
same  as  the  inhabitants  of  other  sections  of  the  world 
where  the  gospel  of  Christ  has  not  been  made  known. 

Time  and  Rulers. — In  time  this  journey  extended  over 
about  three  years,  5 1-54  A.D.  The  rulers  were :  Claudius, 
Emperor  of  Rome  (Nero  became  Emperor  in  54  A.D.); 
Herod  Agrippa  II.,  King  of  Chalcis  (who  also  gets 
Batanea  and  Trachontis);  and  Gallio,  Procurator  of 
Achaia. 

Epistles  to*  the  Churches.— Upon  this  journey  Paul 
makes  a  new  departure.  With  the  multiplication  of  the 
churches  and  the  impossibility  of  visiting  them  often, 
when  occasions  demanded  it,  Paul  begins  the  writing  of 
special  and  circular  letters  to  the  churches.  The  two  first 
Epistles,  of  which  we  have  any  record,  were  those  to  The 
Thessalonians  from  Corinth,  written  probably  in  the  win- 
ter of  52-53  A.D. 

Note.— For  an  account  of  and  an  analysis  of  these  Epistles 
see  study  7. 

THE  ITINERARY 

Through  Asia  Minor  (Acts  15:40-16:8).— It  was 
Paul's  custom  to  revisit  the  churches  which  he  had  organ- 
ized, and  to  care  for  them.  Following  out  this  plan  he 
went  through  Syria  and  Cilicia  confirming  the  churches, 
then  to  Derbe  and  Lystra,  where  he  found  Timotheus 
who  joined  his  company.  After  visiting  the  churches 
founded  on  the  first  missionary  journey,  Paul  and  his 
company  turned  northward  and  **went  throughout 
Phrygia  and  the  region  of  Galatia'*  (Acts  l6:6)  though 
there  is  no  record  of  any  church  having  been  founded  in 
these  regions.  ** After  they  were  come  to  Mysia,  they 
assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia;  but  the  Spirit  suffered  them 
not"  (Acts  16:7). 

It  is  important  to  note  that  the  Holy  Ghost  now  for- 
bade  Paul,  at  this  time^to  further  preach  the  word  in  Asia 
(Acts  16:7).     Paul  and  his  company  tried  after  this  to  go 


44       Bible  Studies  In  the  Life  of  Paul 

into  Bithynia  but  they  were  prevented  from  doing  so  by 
the  Spirit,  and  came  down  to  Troas  (Acts  16:8-12). 
Of  this  long  journey  through  Asia  Minor,  of  its  perils  and 
difficulties,  of  the  rejoicings  of  the  former  Christian  con- 
verts, when  they  saw  Paul  again,  and  of  the  many  inter- 
esting facts  and  incidents  we  have  only  a  glimpse. 

In  Europe  (Acts  16:9-18:18).— Paul,  following 
what  Was  to  him  a  clear  indication  of  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  (Acts  16:6-11),  left  Troas  and  set  out  by 
ship,  by  way  of  Samothracia,  for  Neapolis,  which  he 
reached  on  the  following  day.  There  have  been  many 
conjectures  as  to  what  the  fortunes  of  the  Christian 
church  would  have  been  had  Paul  been  allowed  to  carry 
out  his  intention  to  visit  Bithynia,  and  to  preach  the  gospel 
in  the'regions  of  the  east.  Had  he  done  so,  however,  it 
is  quite  certain,  that  the  history  of  the  world  would  have 
been  quite  different  from  what  it  is  to-day.  In  this  inva- 
sion of  Europe  Paul  came  within  the  charmed  circle  of 
what  was  then  the  highest  civilization.  The  gospel  was 
now  to  try  its  strength  with  the  keenest  philosophers  and 
the  most  seductive  fascinations  of  immorality,  masquerad- 
ing under  the  guise  of  religion  in  the  licentious  rites  of  the 
heathen  temples  and  groves.  What  could  this  missionary 
d6?  What  could  he  preach?  If  philosophy,  if  art,  if 
beauty  could  have  saved  the  souls  of  men  then  they  would 
not  have  needed  the  gospel  which  Paul  preached.  But 
this'  was  a  gilded  age,  and  the  gilding  hid  the  corruption 
beneath.  The  message  of  Paul  to  the  men  in  this  charmed 
circle  of  civilization  was  the  same  that  he  had  set  forth 
in  the  rough  mountain  towns  of  Asia  Minor.  Human 
nature,  under  a  rough  or  a  polished  exterior,  is  the  same 
the  world  over.  Paul  was  seeking  men,  to  bring  them  to 
a  knowledge  of  their  alienation  from  God  through  sin,  and 
to  show  them  the  way  of  salvation  through  repentance  and 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ?  Greece,  over  whom  the  Romans 
held  sway  at  this  time,  had  been  divided  into  two  parts: 
Achaia  on  the  south  and  Macedonia  on  the  north.    A 


Second  Missionary  Journey  45 

great  Homan  road  ran  from  east  to  west  through  Mace- 
donia. It  was  by  this  road  that  the  missionaries  traveled. 
I.  Philippi  (Acts  16:12-40)  will  be  forever  memor- 
able as  the  first  city  in  Europe  in  which  a  Christian  church 
was  established.  It  had  the  character  of  a  Roman  rather 
than  a  Greek  city;  both  the  civil  and  the  military  authorities 
being  Roman.  It  had  the  rank  of  a  Roman  colony. 
Situated  as  it  was  on  the  great  Egnatian  way  travelers 
and  traders  passed  through  it,  eastward  and  westward, 
from  all  parts  of  the  Roman  world.  *'The  Greek  charac- 
ter in  this  northern  province  of  Macedonia  was  more 
vigorous  and  much  less  corrupted  than  in  the  more  pol- 
ished society  of  the  south.  The  churches  which  Paul 
established  here  gave  him  more  comfort  than  any  he  estab- 
lished elsewhere."  The  beginning  of  the  work  at  Philippi 
was  not  very  promising  and  to  most  men  would  have  been 
very  discouraging.  Luke  tells  us  that  **on  the  Sabbath 
we  went  out  of  the  city  by  a  riverside  where  prayer  was 
wont  to  be  made;  and  we  sat  down,  and  spake  unto  the 
women  which  resorted  hither."  But  there  they  met 
Lydia,  an  energetic  business  woman  and  a  work  was 
begun  which  has  had  far  reaching  consequences.  Paul 
and  his  company  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  the  city 
when  they  came  in  conflict  with  the  Roman  authorities. 
A  damsel,  possessed  with  a  spirit  of  divination,  who 
brought  much  gain  to  her  masters,  testified  to  Paul  and 
his  work;  this  spirit  Paul  cast  out  and  in  consequence  the 
owners  of  the  girl  brought  the  charge  against  Paul  and 
Silas  that  they  were  Jews  who  taught  customs  not  lawful 
for  Romans  to  receive.  Notice,  the  shrewdness  of  the 
trumped-up  charge  against  Paul  and  Silas.  Nothing  is 
said  about  the  real  state  of  the  case.  In  this  charge  the 
status  of  the  Jews  is  shown  in  this  city.  Paul  and  Silas 
are  beaten  and  thrown'  into  prison;  their  feet  are  made 
fast  in  the  stocks;  their  wounds  are  left  unwashed  and 
undressed.  But  in  the  earthquake,  which  opens  the 
prison  doors  and  gives  release  to  the  prisoners,  Paul  has 


46       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

an  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  jailer.  How 
magnificently,  forget^ng  himself,  he  sets  forth  the  way  of 
salvation  through  Christ!  We  turn  to  the  Epistle  to  the 
Philippians  (see  Study  9)  to  see  how  Paul  loved  this 
church,  and  how  this  church  loved  him. 

2.  Thessalonica  (Acts  17:1-9).  Thinking  it  best 
to  leave  Philippi,  Paul  and  his  company  passed  on  their 
way  along  the  Egnatian  road  through  the  two  beautiful 
Greek  cities  of  Amphipolis  and  Apollonia  to  Thessalonica, 
distant  about  seventy-three  miles  from  Philippi.  Thessa- 
lonica is  one  of  the  few  cities  which  has  retained  its  im- 
portance up  to  the  present  time.  It  was  founded  by 
Cassander,  King  of  Macedon  in  315  B.C.  It  came  under 
the  Roman  rule  in  168  B.C.  In  Paul's  time  it  was  a 
great  commercial  center,  the  inhabitants  being  Greeks, 
Romans,  and  Jews.  Here  was  a  Jewish  synagogue  and 
for  three  Sabbath  days  Paul  wfent  into  it  and  reasoned 
with  the  assembled  Jews  about  Jesus  Christ,  declaring  to 
them  that  He  was  the  promised  Messiah,  and  had  suffered 
and  was  risen  from  the  dead.  We  have  the  same  results 
here  which  followed  similar  preaching  elsewhere 
(i  Thess.  i;8).  Out  of  the  storm  again  emerges  a 
Christian  church.  Paul  and  his  company,  after  the 
usual  tumult,  pass  on  to  another  city  but  the  church 
remains  to  send  its  blessed  influence  through  all  that 
region.  The  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  (see  Study  7) 
give  us  some  graphic  pictures  of  the  converts  and  their 
ways  of  working. 

3.  Berea  (Acts  17:10-14)  was'a  secluded  inland  city. 
It  must  have  been  somewhat  of  a  surprise  to  Paul  to  find 
the  Jews  of  this  place  so  ready  to  receive  the  Word  of 
God,  which  he  preached  to  them  in  their  synagogue. 
There  was  great  searching  of  the  Scriptures  and  many 
believed.  A  large  work  was  in  progress  when  Jews  from 
Thessalonica,  hearing  of  the  success  of  Paul  in  Berea, 
came  down  and  stirred  up  the  people  against  him.  It 
became  quite  evident  now  that  there  was  a  persistent  and 


Second  Missionary  Journey  4-7 

organized  effort  being  made  to  drive  Paul  out  of  this  sec- 
tion. As  the  opposition  seemed  to  be  directed  against 
Paul  alone,  the  brethren  proposed  to  send  him  away,  and 
to  have  Silas  and  Timotheus  remain  for  a  short  tme. 
This  plan  was  carried  out. 

4.  Athens  (Acts  17:15-34)  was  the  most  cultivated 
city  of  the  old  world;  a  statue  was  set  upon  every 
corner  and  an  altar  in  every  street.  ''Here  the  human 
mind  had  blazed  forth  with  a  splendor  it  has  never  ex- 
hibited elsewhere.  In  the  golden  age  of  its  hii>tory 
Athens  possessed  more  men  of  the  very  highest  g<mius 
than  have  ever  lived  in  any  other  city.  To  this  day  their 
names  invest  her  with  glory.  Yet  even  in  Paul's  day  the 
living  Athens  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  Four  hundred 
years  had  elapsed  since  its  golden  age,  and  in  the  course 
of  these  centuries  it  had  experienced  a  sad  dechne.  Phil- 
osophy had  degenerated  into  sophistry,  art  into  dilettante- 
ism,  oratory  into  rhetoric,  poetry  into  verse  making.  It 
was  a  city  living  on  its  past."  Paul  entered  into  the  open 
places  where  the  people  gathered  and  talked  with  them. 
So  much  interest  was  aroused  by  what  he  had  to  say  that 
he  was  asked  to  speak  to  them  upon  Mars  Hill.  Thither 
they  all  went.  Paul  as  his  custom  was  sought  a  common 
starting  point  in  the  altar  to  the  unknown  God.  :=o  long 
as  he  spoke  of  God  and  man  in  general  terms  -it;  was 
listened  to,  but  when  he  came  to  touch  their  hearts  and 
consciences  and  to  apply  what  he  said,  speaking  of  the 
judgment  through  Christ  and  His  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  he  was  left  alone.  Paul  did  not  fail,  the  trouble 
with  the  Athenians  was  that  they  possessed  only  intellect- 
ual curiosity;  they  had  no  appetite  for  the  truth.  But 
still  some  converts  were  made.  "Certain  men  clave  unto 
him  and  believed ;  among  whom  were  Dionysius  the  Areo- 
pagite  and  a  woman  named  Damaris  and  others  with 
them"     (Acts  17:34). 

5.  Corinth  (Acts  l8:l-l8)  was  the  largest  and  most 
important  city  in  Greece.     From  Athens  Paul  came  to 


48       Bible  Studies  In  the  Life  of  Paul 

Corinth  and  remained  over  a  year  and  a  half.  We  have 
a  graphic  picture  of  this  church  in  the  Epistles  to  the 
Corinthians.  (See  Study  8.)  Probably  no  better  place 
than  this  highway  of  all  peoples  could  have  been  selected 
in  which  to  preach  the  gospel.  No  one  knew  better  than 
Paul  how  to  select  strategic  places.  A  stream  of  travel- 
ers, merchants,  scholars,  and  sailors  was  constantly  pass- 
ing through  this  great  commercial  city;  what  was  preached 
here  would  be  carried  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  It  was  a 
city  of  art  and  culture  and  yet  a  place  where  the  vices  of 
the  east  and  west  met  and  held  high  carnival.  Religion 
itself  was  put  to  ignoble  uses;  a  thousand  priestesses 
ministered  to  a  base  worship  in  the  magnificent  temple  of 
the  goddess  Aphrodite.  Greek  philosophy  showed  its 
decay  in  endless  discussions  about  words  and  the  tendency 
to  set  intellectual  above  moral  distinctions.  There  was  a 
denial  of  the  future  life'  for  the  sake  of  unlimited  enjoy- 
ment in  the  present.  Paul,  when  he  came  into  the  city, 
found  a  lodging  with  AquiJa  and  his  wife  Priscilla,  and 
wrought  with  them  at  the  occupation  of  tent  making. 
When  Silas  and  Timotheus  joined  him  he-openly  testified 
to  the  Jews  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  Crispus,  the  chief 
ruler  of  the  synagogue,  was  converted  together  with  many 
Corinthians.  Paul  was  comforted  at  this^time  by  a  vision 
of  the  Lord  which  bade  him  to  speak  and  not  to  hold  his 
peace.  After  a  year  and  a  half  of  earnest  preaching  an 
attempt  was  made  by  the  Jews  to  drive  Paul  out  of  the 
city  by  bringing  accusations  against  him  before  the  Roman 
proconsul  Gallio,  but  in  this  they  were  unsuccessful.  Paul 
tarried  and  worked  here  until  it  seemed  best  for  him  to 
turn  his.  steps  homeward  again  to  Antioch.  The  keynote 
of  his  preaching  in  this  -city  is  given  by  him  in  his  First 
Fpistle  to  the  Corinthians  where  he  says  (2:2),  '*For  I 
determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you  save  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified.'*  If  this  gospel  could  win  con- 
verts in  Corinth,  it  can  win  converts  anywhere. 

The  Return  Voyage  (Acts  18:18-22)  was  by  way  of 


Second  Missionary  Journey  49 

Ephesus  where  he  entered  into  the  synagogue  and  rea- 
soned with  the  Jews.  Leaving  Ephesus  he  sailed  for 
Caesarea  where  he  landed.  After  he  had  gone  up  and 
saluted  the  church  he  went  down  to  Antioch. 


QUESTIONS 

Who  proposed  the  second  missionary  journey?  Who  were  the 
companions?  What  can  be  said  of  the  wide  scope?  What  was 
its  value  to  the  world?  Time  and  Rulers?  What  can  be  said  of 
the  new  depaiture  in  writing  Epistles  to  the  churches?  What  can 
be  said  of  the  itinerary  through  Asia  Minor?  Give  the  incidents, 
of  preaching  the  gospel,  that  occurred  during  the  trip  in  Europe, 
in  the  different  cities;  Philippi,  Thessalonica,  Berea,  Athens,  and 
Corinth,    How  was  the  return  voyage  made? 


II.     PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Scripture ^  Acts  1^:1-28 :$z 


Study  V 


THIRD  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 

Scrij^ture^  Acts  18:23-21  :J7 
ANALYSIS 

Third  Missionary  Journey— Method.     The   Chief   City.     Time 

and  Extent.    Epistles  Written. 
Itinerary— Through    Galatia   and    Phygia.    Ephesus.    Through 

Macedonia  and  Greece.    The  Return  Voyage. 


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II.     PAUL'S   JOURNEYS 

Acis  13:1-28:31 


Study  V 


THIRD    MISSIONARY    JOURNEY 

Scripture^  Acts  18:23-21  .'17 

Method. — A  study  of  the  three  missionary  journeys 
shows  the  method  of  evangehzation  of  the  ancient  world. 
The  first  journey  was  comparatively  near  home.  The 
second  was  a  review  of  the  work  done  in  the  first  and  a 
pushing  on  to  new  work  in  Asia  Minor  and  the  larger 
conquests  in  Europe.  In  the  third  we  have  a  review  visit 
to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor,  a  long  stop  at  Ephesus, 
and  a  review  visit  to  the  churches  of  Macedonia  and 
A-chaia,  which  were  organized  upon  the  second  mission- 
ary journey.  There  was  always  a  method  in  what  Paul 
did.  He  was  not  only  a  missionary  preaching  and  testify- 
ing to  Jesus  Christ,  but  he  was  an  organizer  and  leader  of 
men.  The  churches  formed  were  visited  again  and  again; 
messengers  were  sent  to  them  to  instruct,  to  chide,  and 
to  encourage  them;  circular  and  special  letters  from 
Paul's  own  hand  were  dispatched  to  them,  when  occasion 
required.  Wherever  Paul  preached,  whatever  might  be 
the  tumults  raised,  he  always  won  some  adherents  for 
Jesus  Christ,  who  were  brought  together  and  organized 
into  a  church. 

On  this  third  journey  he  was  already  planning  to  go  to 
Rome  (Acts  19:21)  and  wrote  an  epistle  to  the  Romans 
announcing  his  coming     (Rom.  1:7,  15). 

The  Chief  City,  in  which  Paul  spent  most  of  his  time 

S3 


54       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

(Acts  19:1,  8,  10),  between  two  and  three  years  upon 
this  journey,  was  Ephesus  in  Asia  Minor.  This  city  situ- 
ated midway  between  the  extreme  points  of  his  former 
missionary  journeys  was  a  place  where  he  could  have  an 
intelligent  oversight  over  ail  the  work  which  he  had  pre- 
viously accompHshed. 

Ephesus  has  been  tnus  described:  '*It  had  been  one 
of  the  early  Greek  colonies,  later  the  capital  of  Ionia,  and 
in  Paul's  day  it  was  by  tar  the  largest  and  busiest  of  all 
the  cities  of  proconsular  Asia.  All  the  roads  in  Asia 
Minor  centered  in  Ephesus  and  from  its  position  it  was 
almost  as  much  a  meeting  place  of  eastern  and  western 
thought  as  Alexandria.  Its  religion  was  oriental.  Its 
goddess  called,  Artemis  or  Diana,  had  a  Greek  name  but 
was  the  representative  ot  an  old  Prygian  nature  worship. 
The  goddess  was  an  inanistic,  many-breasted  figure,  the 
body  carved  with  strange  ligures  of  animals,  flowers,  and 
fruits.  The  temple  buili  by  Alexander  the  Great  was 
the  most  magnificent  religious  edifice  in  the  world.  It 
was  kept  by  a  corporation  of  priests  and  priestesses,  who 
were  supported  by  the  rents  of  vast  estates.  For  centu- 
ries Ephesus  was  a  greai  center  of  pilgrimmage,  and  pil- 
grims came  from  all  pans  of  Asia  to  visit  the  famous 
shrine." 

"The  first  great  blov;  v/hich  this  worship  received  was 
given  by  Paul  during  his  two  years'  stay  in  Ephesus,  and 
the  story  told  in  this  chapter  is  the  history  of  the  begin- 
ning of  a  decline  from  which  the  worship  of  Diana  never 
recovered.  The  speech  of  Demetrius  perhaps  exagger- 
ates the  effects  of  Paul's  work,  but  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  gospel  took  firm  hold  of  proconsular  Asia 
from  a  very  early  period.  Paul's  Epistles  tell  us  of  the 
churches  in  Ephesus,  Laodicea,  and  Colosse,  and  the 
Apocalypse  adds  churches  in  Pergamos,  Smyrna,  Thyatira, 
Sardis,  and  Philadelphia.  Half  a  century  later,  Pliny 
asserted  that  in  this  region  the  temples  were  deserted, 
the  worship  was  neglected,  and  the  sacrificial  victims  were 
unsold." 


Third  Missionary  Journey  55 

During  his  long  stay  in  Ephesus,  Paul  doubtless  received 
many  delegations  and  visitors  from  the  churches  formerly 
organized  by  him. 

The  character  of  the  Ephesian  Christians  can  be  seen 
from  the  Epistle  addressed  to  them     (See  Study  9). 

Time  and  Extent. — About  tour  years,  54-58  A.D., 
were  occupied  by  Paul  in  going  about  among  the  churches 
and  about  3,500  miles  were  traveled. 

Epistles. — This  journey  was  prolific  in  masterly  writ- 
ings. Paul  wrote  the  First  and  Second  Epistles  to  the 
Corinthians  from  Ephesus  about  57  A. D.,  Galatians  from 
the  same  city  (somewhere  between  54  and  56  A.D.),  and 
Romans  at  Corinth  in  58  A.D.     (See  Study  8). 

ITINERARY 

Through  Galatia  and  Phrygia  (Acts  18:23). — 
After  Paul  had  spent  some  time  at  Antioch,  at  the  close 
of  the  second  missionary  journey,  "He  departed  and 
went  over  all  the  country  of  Galatia  and  Phrygia  in  order 
strengthening  all  the  disciples."  Thus  Luke  briefly  sums 
up  in  a  few  words  all  the  incidents  of  a  journey  of  hun- 
dreds of  miles  of  travel. 

Ephesus  (Acts  19:1-20:1). — Evidently  with  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  what  is  new  and  of  chief  importance  in 
each  journey  Luke,  as  is  his  habit,  calls  attention  to  the 
work  of  Paul  in  Ephesus;  other  parts  of  this  journey  are 
passed  over  with  slight  mention. 

Having  gone  through  the  upper  coasts,  Paul  comes  to 
Ephesus.  The  chief  events  in  this  city,  during  the  visit 
of  the  Apostle,  were : 

1.  The  incident  of  the  work  of  Apollos  is  given  (Acts 
18:24-19:1)  to  show  how  Paul  found  about  twelve  dis- 
ciples of  John  the  Baptist  (Acts  19:7)  at  Ephesus  and 
instructed  them  further,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus     (Acts  19:5,  compare  Acts  19:1-7). 

2.  Three  months  were  spent  by  Paul  (Acts  19:8,  9) 


S6       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

with  the  Jews  in  their  synagogue,  ''disputing  and  persuad- 
ing the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God."  But 
when  certain  of  them  became  hardened  and  it  was  plainly 
seen  that  little  good  was  being  done  he  left  the  synagogue. 

3.  About  two  years  time  was  given,  after  the  apostle 
had  separated  himself  and  followers  from  the  Jewish  syna- 
gogue, to  teaching  in  the  school  or  lecture  room  of 
Tyrannus  (Acts  19:9,  10).  The  result  of  this  preach- 
ing and  teaching  was  that  a  great  multitude  of  men  and 
women  was  brought  to  a  confession  of  faith  in  Christ, 
throughout  Asia. 

4.  The  mighty  growth  of  the  Word  of  God  (Acts 
19:20)  was  attested  by  the  miracles  which  Paul  did  in  the 
name  of  Christ  (Acts  19:11,  12).  He  confounded  the 
Jewish  exorcists,  who  attempted  to  imitate  these  miracles 
(Acts  19:13-20).  This  great  work  was  shown  to  be  a 
thorough  one  from  the  fact  that  many  who  used  curious 
arts  brought  their  books  and  burned  them  amounting  in 
value  to  over  $31,000. 

5.  Paul  now  proposed,  thinking  the  Ephesian  church 
could  stand  alone  (Acts  19:21,  22),  "after  he  had  passed 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  say- 
ing, after  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome." 
In  anticipation  of  this  visit  he  sent  Timotheus  and  Erastus 
into  Macedonia,  "but  he  himself  stayed  in  Asia  for  a 
season." 

6.  The  tumuh  made  by  Demetrius  (Acts  19:23-40)  is 
a  strong  proof  of  the  large  impression  made  by  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  upon  not  only  the  city  of  Ephesus  but  all 
Asia  Minor.  The  burning  of  the  magical  books  had 
arrested  the  attention  of  many  people,  but  when  the  sale 
of  the  silver  images  of  the  idol,  Diana,  began  to  fall  off 
so  as  to  touch  the  trade  of  the  silversmiths  they  were  up 
in  arms  at  once.  Demetrius  showed  how  the  power  of 
Christ  had  prevailed  with  men  when  he  declared  that, 
"Paul  hath  persuaded  and  turned  away  much  people, 
saying  that  there  be  no  gods  which  are  made  with  hands." 


Third  Missionary  Journey  57 

The  violence  of  the  men  who  composed  the  mob  showed 
how  deeply  Christianity  had  taken  hold  upon  large  num- 
bers of  people.  Paul,  after  the  uproar  had  quieted  down, 
carried  out  his  intention  of  departing  for  Macedonia. 

Through  Macedonia  and  Greece  (Acts  21:1-6). — 
**The  order  of  events  seems  to  have  been:  (a)  Timotheus 
and  Erastus  were  sent  to  look  after  the  church  discipline 
at  Corinth  (Acts  19:22).  Stephanas  and  others  came 
from  Corinth  and  returned  with  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians  (l  Cor.  16:17).  (b)  Paul  meant  to  visit 
Corinth  (i  Cor.  4:18,  19);  instead  he  went  to  Macedonia 
by  Troas  (2  Cor.  2:12,  13).  (c)  He  waited  at  Troas 
for  news  from  Corinth,  and  his  anxiety  told  on  his  health 
(2  Cor.  2:12;  1:8;  4:10,  11;  12:7).  (d)  In  spite  of 
illness  he  pressed  on  to  Macedonia  (2  Cor.  2:13),  where 
he  met  Titus,  who  brought  him  good  news  of  the  state  of 
the  Corinthian  church  (2  Cor.  7:5-9).  (e)  He  wrote 
the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  and  sent  it  by  Titus, 
and  resolved  to  wait  sometime  longer  before  going  to 
Corinth,  for  he  wished  to  take  a  contribution  from  the 
Corinthians  to  Jerusalem  (2  Cor.  9:1-5).  (f)  In  Mace- 
donia he  probably  visited  Berea,  Thessalonica,  and  Philippi, 
with  perhaps  a  journey  to  Illyricum  (Rom.  15:19). 
(g)  He  went  to  Greece  (Corinth  and  Cenchrea).  (h) 
He  proposed  saihng  for  Syria  with  the  contributions  of 
the  various  churches,  and  with  delegates  who  carried 
the  money;  Sopater  from  Berea,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus 
from  Thessalonica,  Gains  from  Derbe,  Timotheus  from 
Lystra,  Tychicus  and  Trophimus  from  Ephesus  (Acts 
20:4;  21:29).  (i)  The  Jews  of  Corinth  conspired  to 
murder  Paul  on  his  embarkation,  so  his  friends  went  by 
ship,  and  he  eluded  the  conspirators  by  going  by  land  to 
Philippi.  ( j )  Then  he  took  ship  for  Troas,  having  Luke 
who  had  been  at  Philippi  for  his  companion  ("Wo 
sailed"). 

The  Return  Journey,  Troas  to  Jerusalem  (Acts 
20:6-21:15). 


58       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

1.  Troas.  Luke  and  Paul  were  five  days  in  reaching 
Troas,  from  Philippi,  where  they  found  a  number  of  the 
brethren  who  had  preceded  them  (Acts  20:6,  compare 
Acts  20:4-6).  Seven  days  were  spent  at  Troas  (Acts 
20:6).  We  have  here  the  record  of  how  the  disciples 
spent  the  Sabbath  day  in  breaking  bread  together  and  in 
listening  to  the  preaching  of  Paul.  (Acts  20:7-12).  This 
last  day  here  came  near  being  marred  by  Eutychus  meet- 
ing his  death,  when  he  fell  down  from  the  third  loft.  But 
Paul  was  there  and  Eutychus's  life  was  spared.  The 
meeting  did  not  break  up  until  the  next  morning,  so  inter- 
ested were  they  in  talking  over  "The  Way.'* 

2.  Troas  to  Miletus  (Acts  20:13-15).  Paul's  com- 
pany went  by  ship  first  to  Assos,  where  Paul  met  them; 
he  having  covered  the  distance  of  about  twenty  miles  oh 
foot.  At  Assos  Paul  joined  the  company  on  the  ship  and 
they  sailed  from  Assos  to  Mitylene.  *'And  we  sailed 
thence,"  says  Luke,  "and  came  the  next  day  over  against 
Chios;  and  the  next  day  we  arrived  at  Samos,  and  tarried 
at  Trogyllium;  and  the  next  day  we  came  to  Miletus. 

3.  At  Miletus  (Acts  20: 17-38)  Paul  sent  for  the  elders 
of  the  Ephesian  church  to  come  to  him.  When  they 
came  he  spoke  to  them  in  a  very  touching  and  tender 
way.  This  address  has  been  divided  into  four  parts:  (a) 
What  was  behind  Paul;  he  called  them  to  witness  that  he 
had  been  faithful  in  declaring  to  them  the  full  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  (b)  What  was  before  Paul;  he  said 
that  in  every  city  the  Holy  Ghost  witnessed  that  bonds 
and  afflictions  awaited  him.  (c)  What  was  before  the 
elders  of  the  Ephesian  church;  it  was  theirs  to  take  care 
of  the  flock  over  which  they  presided  and  "to  feed  the 
church  of  God."  (d)  Commendation  of  the  elders  to 
God  in  their  good  work,  (e)  Paul's  earnest  prayer  for 
their  welfare,     (f  )  The  farewell  words. 

4.  Miletus  to  Caesarea  and  Jerusalem  (Acts  21:1-15) 
by  way  of  Coos,  Rhodes.  Patara,  Tyre,  and  Caesarea. 


Third  Missionary  Journey  59 

At  Tyre  there  was  a  wait  of  seven  days  and  a  change  of 
ships;  in  this  city  it  was  testified  to  Paul  that  he  should 
not  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  At  the  parting,  when  Paul  and 
his  company  took  ship  to  go  to  Csesarea,  the  disciples  of 
Tyre  came  out  to  see  them  off  and  all  kneeled  down 
on  the  shore  and  prayed.  At  Caesarea  where  Paul's 
company  tarried  many  days,  it  was  again  made  known  to 
Paul  by  the  Holy  Ghost  that  bonds  and  imprisonment 
awaited  him  at  Jerusalem,  but  still  he  pressed  on  saying, 
"The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done."  Arriving  in  Jerusalem 
they  were  gladly  received  by  the  brethren. 

QUESTIONS 

What  was  the  method  of  evangelizing  the  ancient  world? 
How  did  the  three  missionary  journeys  differ  from  each  other? 
"What  can  be  said  of  the  chief  city  in  which  Paul  spent  so  much 
of  the  time  of  this  journey?  Time  and  extent  of  this  journey? 
What  Epistles  were  written?  Give  the  chief  incidents  of  the  itiner- 
ary; through  Galatia  and  Phrygia;  in  Ephesus;  through  Mace- 
donia and  Greece;  the  return  voyage. 


II.    PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Scripture,  Ads  13:1-28:31 


Study  VI 
JERUSALEM   TO    ROME 

Acts  21 :  17-28 :3i 
ANALYSIS 

This  Journey — From  Jerusalem  to  Rome.  The  Seven  Speeches. 
The  Writings.  Time  and  Extent.  The  Historical  Connec- 
tions. 

Paul  at  Jerusalem — The  Return  to  Jerusalem.  The  Meeting 
with  James  and  the  Elders  of  the  Church.  The  Temple  Riot. 
The  Speech  of  Paul  to  the  Rioters.  Before  the  Jewish 
Council.  Paul  Comforted  by  God.  Conspiracy  of  Jewish 
Fanatics. 

Paul  at  Caesarea — The  First  Defense,  before  Jewish  Accusers 
and  the  Roman  Governor  Felix.  Second  Defense,  before 
Felix.  Third  Defense,  before  Festus.  Fourth  Defense, 
before  Festus  and  King  Agrippa  II. 

The  Voyage  to  Rome — Caesarea  to  Myra.  Myra  to  Melita.  Melita 
to  Rome. 

Paul  at  Rome — Testifying  to  the  Jews.  Testifying  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. Incidental  Notices  of  the  Imprisonment.  The  Further 
Travels  of  Paul. 


61 


II.     PAUL'S  JOURNEYS 

Scripture^  Acts  ij:i~28:sr 


Study  VI 
JERUSALEM  TO   ROME 

Scripture,  Acts  21 :  1^-28:^1 

THIS  JOURNEY 
Scripture,  Acts  21  :iy-28:ji 

From  Jerusalem  to  Rome. — ^This  portion  of  the  book 
of  the  Acts  comprises  more  than  one  quarter  of  the  whole, 
or  seven  and  a  half  chapters.  There  must  have  been 
some  important  purpose  to  be  served  by  thus  relating  so 
fully  the  incidents  of  this  period  in  Paul's  hfe;  for  Luke 
elsewhere  narrates  only  the  incidents  of-  the  missionary 
journeys  which  are  of  great  interest.  It  may  be  that  his 
purpose  was  to  show,  with  the  full  connecting  incidents, 
how  clearly  and  strongly  Paul  testified,  to  the  Jews  in  the 
temple  (Acts  22:1-23),  and  before  the'  Roman  tribunal 
(Acts  25:13,  14,  26;  26:1-32),  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ.  Jesus  himself,  before  his  death,  gave  the  same 
testimony  to  the  Sanhedrin  (Matt.  26:63,  64;  Mark  14:61, 
62;  Luke  22:67-6(^),  and  the  Roman  tribunal  (John 
18:33-37).  The  testimony  of  Paul  was  further  carried  to 
imperial  Rome,  the'  capital  of  the  world    (Acts  28:1 7-24) . 

The  Seven  Speeches. — ^The  last  recorded  addresses  of 
the  Great  Apostle  are  a  striking  feature  of  this  period. 
They  show  his  faith  after  it  had  been  tried  and  tested  in 
his  toilsome  years  of  missionary  labors.  They  reveal  the 
courage  and  character  of  the  man  in  that  they  were  given 
when  he  was  in  bonds  and  in  imminent  peril  of  his  life. 

63 


64       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

1 .  The  speech  before  the  Jewish  mob  in  the  temple 
(Acts  22:1-29)  '^  which  Paul  tells  the  Jews  how  he  was 
changed  from  a  persecutor  to  a  believer  in  Christ.  He 
relates  also  the  story  of  his  conversion. 

2.  The  speech  before  the  Jewish  council  (Acts  22:30; 
23:1-10)  in  which  he  creates  confusion  by  raising  the 
question  of  the  resurrection.  But  the  provocation  was 
great  for  the  high-priest  had  commanded  that  Paul  be 
smitten  on  the  mouth  when  he  began  to  speak. 

3.  The  speech  before  Felix,  the  Roman  governor 
(Acts  24:10-22)  in  which  he  makes  his  defense  against 
Jewish  accusers,  and  affirms  his  behef  in  the  new  "Way'* 
and  in  the  resurrection. 

4.  The  speech  before  Felix  and  Drusilla,  his  wife, 
(Acts  24:24-27).  Paul,  being  sent  for  by  Felix  to  tell 
him  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  reasons  "of  righteousness,  tem- 
perance, and  judgment  to  come." 

5.  The  speech  before  Festus  the  Roman  governor 
(Acts  25:7-11)  in  which  Paul  appeals  to  Caesar. 

6.  The  speech  before  Festus,  the  Roman  governor, 
and  King  Agrippa  and  his  wife,  Bernice,  (Acts  25:13; 
26:1-32).  Here  Paul  again  relates  the  story  of  his  con- 
version and  shows  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 

7.  The  speech  before  the  chief  Jews  in  Rome  (Acts 
28:17-31)  showing  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 

The  Writings. — During  the  two  years'  imprisonment 
of  Paul  in  Caesarea  we  have  no  account  of  any  Epistles 
written  by  him.  But  when  he  arrives  in  Rome  he  again 
begins  to  indite  those  writings  which  have  made  his  name 
so  famous.  From  his  prison  in  Rome  he  sent  out  four 
letters  which  have  been  called,  "The  Epistles  of  the  First 
Imprisonment";  Colossians,  Philemon,  Ephesians,  and 
Philippians  (See  Chapter  9).  For  profound  expositions 
of  the  Christian  doctrines,  lofty  etliical  teaching,  and 
mellowness  of  feeHng  they  stand  unequalled. 

Time  and  Extent.— Paul  arrived  in  Jerusalem  in  58 
A.D.     He  was  imprisoned  two  years  in  Caesarea,  58  to 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  65 

60  A.D.  The  voyage  to  Rome  was  in  the  winter  of  60 
and  61  A  D.  He  was  imprisoned  in  Rome  two  years,  61 
to  63  A.D.  In  extent  the  journey  which  Paul  took  from 
Caesarea  to  Rome  was  about  2,300  miles. 

The  Historical  Connections. — Nero  was  Emperor  of 
Rome  (since  54  A.D.).  Felix  was  Procurator  of  Judea 
from  51  to  60  A.D.,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Festus. 
We  fix  the  date  of  Paul's  going  to  Rome  by  the  fact  that 
when  Festus  came  in  60  A.D,,  he  made  his  appeal  to 
Caesar. 

PAUL  AT  JERUSALEM 

The  Return  to  Jerusalem  (Acts  21:17-23:23)  was  at 
the  feast  of  Pentecost  when  it  was  crowded  wth  strangers 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Paul  had  been  warned  not 
to  come  back  to  this  city  (Acts  21:10-14)  and  it  might 
have  been  possible  for  him  to  have  remained  away,  pass- 
ing the  last  years  of  his  life  in  high  honor  and  peace  as 
the  Great  Apostle  and  Head  of  the  Gentile  churches. 
But  he  sef-ms  to  have  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  return 
to  Jerusalem  and  testify  for  his  faith  (Acts  21  :i4),  and  to 
carry  alms  (Acts  24:17).  Paul  was  now  about  sixty 
years  of  age  and  for  more  than  ten  years  had  been  en- 
gaged in  the  most  arduous  missionary  labors,  enduring 
stonings,  beatings,  and  contumelies  of  all  kinds,  for  the 
sake  of  preaching  Jesus  Christ.  More  than  twenty  years 
had  elapsed  since  his  conversion;  and  before  his  well- 
known  three  missionary  journeys  he  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  work  which  he  loved  so  well.  In  his  body 
he  must  have  borne  the  marks  of  these  incessant  labors, 
but  his  spirit  was  as  fresh  and  undaunted  as  ever.  What- 
ever awaited  him  in  Jerusalem  he  was  ready  for  it. 

The  Meeting  with  James  and  the  Elders  of  the 
Church  (Acts  21:17-25)  seems  to  have  been  a  pleasant 
one.  Paul  told  his  story  of  the  wonders  wrought  in  the 
Gentile  world,  and  God  was  glorified,  but  there  seems  to 
have  been  a  certain  constraint  upon  the  company.     Paul 


(>6       Bible  Studies  In  the  Life  of  Paul 

was  well  known  everywhere  as  an  exponent  of  that  Hberty 
in  Christ  by  which  the  Gentiles  when  they  became.  Chris- 
tians were  not  obliged  to  become  Jews  and  obey  the  laws 
of  Moses.  We  find  the  elders,  while  freely  admitting 
the  binding  nature  of  the  decision  of  the  Jerusalem 
Council  upon  this  matter,  advising  him  to  show  the 
many  thousands  of  Jews  who  believed  and  kept  the  law, 
that  he  himself  still  held  to  the  observance  of  the  law. 
Hence  the  urgency  with  which  they  requested  him  to 
purify  himself  in  the  temple,  with  certain  men  who  had 
a  vow,  so  that  the  Jews  might  see  that  he  was  not  a  rene- 
gade. The  consequences  of  this  advice  soon  became 
evident. 

The  Temple  Riot  and  Paul's  Imprisonment  (Acts 
21:26-39). — When  the  days  of  purification  for  his  com- 
panions were  almost  completed  some  Jews  of  Asia  saw 
him  and  at  once  raised  a  great  tumult.  It  is  a  wonder 
that  he  was  not  seen  and  recognized  earlier.  Doubtless 
the  Asian  Jews  had  been  restrained  in  their  own  cities 
from  wreaking  their  hatred  upon  Paul  to  the  full,  by  the 
strong  arm  of  the  Roman  magistrate.  At  once  a  great 
outcry  was  raised  and  Paul  would  have  fared  badly  if  he 
had  not  been  rescued  by  the  Roman  soldiers,  to  be  im- 
prisoned by  them. 

The  Speech  of  Paul  to  the  Rioters  (Acts  2 1:40- 
22:23). — He  requested  that  he  be  permitted  to  speak  to 
this  angry  crowd  of  fanatic  Jews,  who  were  howling  for 
his  life.  What  would  he  say?  What  defense  could  he 
make?  Listen  to  him!  He  is  telling  the  story  of  his  life 
and  conversion,  on  the  way  to  Damascus.  He  is  gloBify- 
ing  Jesus  and  urging  them  to  believe  in  Him.  There  is 
not  one  word  about  the  indignities  that  have  been  heaped 
upon  himself.  This  personal  testimony  in  this  city  where 
Paul  had  been  the  chief  persecutor  was  wonderful.  But 
as  the  Jews  had  demanded  the  life  of  Christ,  when  he  was 
upon  earth  and  testified  to  His  mission,  so  now  they 
demanded  the  life  of  Paul. 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  67 

Before  the  Jewish  Council     (Acts  22:24-23:10). — 

Paul,  rescued  from  the  cUitches  of  the  mob,  would  have 
been  scourged  by  the  Romans  had  he  not  declared  himself 
a  Roman.  On  the  morrow,  taken  before  the  Sanhedrin, 
and  seeing  no  hope  of  any  justice  being  done  him,  he  sets 
one  party  of  it  over  a  gainst  the  other  by  declaring  that  he 
was  a  Pharisee  and  **of  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead  I  am  called  in  question."  So  great  was  the  dis- 
sension that  arose  over  this  matteir  that  Paul  was  faring 
badly  when  he  was  rescued  by  the  chief  captain  and  his 
soldiers. 

Paul  Comforted  by  God  (Acts  23:10). — Paul  must 
have  been  quite  worn  out  with  the  tumults  and  mobs  of 
the  last  two  days.  The  encouragement  of  God  speaking 
to  him  and  telling  him  to  be  of  good  cheer,  and  that  as  he 
had  testified  of  Him  in  Jerusalem,  he  must  also  bear  wit- 
ness in  Rome,  put  a  new  heart  in  him.  It  had  been 
I-'aul's  great  desire  to  visit  Rome  and  preach  Christ  in 
that  city     (Rome  1:11-15;  Acts  19:21). 

Conspiracy  of  Jewish  Fanatics  (Acts  23: 10-30). — 
The  mad  hatred  of  the  Jews  against  Paul  is  shown  by 
more  than  forty  men  binding  themselves  under  a  curse  to 
kill  him.  The  astonishing  thing  about  this  conspiracy  is 
that  the  conspirators  showed  what  they  proposed  to  do  to 
the  chief  priests  and  elders  and  asked  their  aid  to  bring 
Paul  down  for  another  examination  that  they  might  kill 
him.  The  plot  was  brought  to  naught  by  Paul's  nephew, 
who  heard  of  it  and  told  Paul.  This  information  was  at 
once  given  to  the  chief  captain,  who  determined  to  send 
Paul  away  that  night  to'the  Roman  governor  at  Caesarea. 
It  was  a  large  escort,  200  legionaries,  20O  light  armed 
troops,  skirmishers,  and  70  cavalry,  which  was  sent  out 
with  Paul.  This  great  company  of  soldiers  showed  the 
immanent  danger  in  which  Paul  stood  at  this  time. 


68       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


PAUL  AT  C^SAREA 
Scripture ^  Acts  sj.'jj-sy  :i 

Paul  now  comes  under  Roman  jurisdiction  and  remains 
for  two  years  (Acts  24:27)  a  prisoner  in  Caesarea.  He 
is  not  kept  in  close  confinement  and  his  friends  are 
allowed  to  see  him  (Acts  24:23).  Who  came  to  see 
him  of  these  friends  and  what  they  talked  about  Luke 
does  not  tell  us.  Our  attention  seems  to  be  purposely 
directed  to  the  defense  which  Paul  made  of  his  faith  and 
work  before  the  Roman  governors,  Felix  and  Festus,  and 
the  Jewish  King  Agrippa  IL  As  Pilate  had  seen  no  just 
cause  why  Christ  should  be  condemned  to  death,  so  Felix 
and  Festus,  when  Paul  had  testified  of  his  faith  in  Christ 
before  them,  saw  no  reason  why  he  should  suffer  the 
death  penalty. 

The  First  Defense ;  before  Jewish  Accusers  and  the 
Roman  Governor,  Felix  (Acts  23:33-24:23). — Await- 
ing the  coming  of  his  accusers  from  Jerusalem  Paul  was 
kept  in  Herod's  judgment  hall.  After  five  days  Ananias, 
with  the  elders,  and  an  orator,  named  Tertullus,  came  to 
Caesarea,  and  charged  Paul  with  being  "a  mover  of  sedi- 
tion among  all  the  Jews  throughout  the  world,  and  a  ring- 
leader of  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes";  they  also  accused 
him  of  profaning  the  temple. 

Paul  being  beckoned  by  the  governor  to  speak  replied 
in  answer  to  the  charges  made  against  him:  (a)  That 
Felix,  who  has  been  governor  so  long  (since  51  A.D.), 
must  know  from  personal  knowledge,  that  he  had  not  been 
engaged  in  any  sedition  and  that  this  charge  could  not  be 
proved  against  him.  It  had  only  been  twelve  days  since 
he  went  up  to  Jerusalem  and  a  number  of  them  had  been 
spent  in  Roman  custody.  During  this  period  there  had 
been  no  time  to  plot  against  the  government,  (b)  While 
he  worshipped  God  after  the  way  that  they  called  heresy, 
yet  he  believed  all  that  was  written  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets.     He  had  come  he  said  ** after  many  years  to 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  69 

bring  alms  to  my  nation,  and  offerings.'*  It  was  true 
that  certain  Jews  had  found  him  ** purified  in  the  temple, 
neither  with  multitude,  nor  with  tumult.'*  These  ought 
to  have  been  present  and  to  have  testified  to  these  things, 
(c)  He  denied  that  he  had  committed  any  sacrilege. 
When  he  was  seized  in  the  temple  he  was  in  the  very  act 
of  performing  a  portion  of  the  worship  prescribed  by  the 
Mosaic  law.  (d)  The  knowledge  of  those  present  ''went 
no  further  than  that  they  had  heard  him  declare  his  belief 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead"  (Acts 
22:30-23:1-6).  Upon  the  conclusion  of  Paul's  argu- 
ment, Felix  adjourned  the  case  until  Lysias,  the  chief 
captain,  should  come  down  and  give  his  testimony. 

Second  Defense ;  before  Felix  and  his  Wife,  Dru- 
siUa  (Acts  24:24-27). — This  was  evidently  a  private 
hearing  of  Paul  of  his  faith  in  Christ.  There  was  ample 
reason  for  the  trembling  of  Felix  when  Paul  "reasoned 
of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come." 
Felix  was  a  notoriously  unjust  ruler  who  had  taken  bribes, 
murdered  a  high-priest  and,  relying  upon  the  influence  of 
his  infamous  brother  Pallas  at  Rome,  was  steeped  in 
crimes.  He  had  induced  his  wife  Drusilla  to  desert  her 
husband  to  marry  him.  Felix  shov/ed  his  character  when 
he  sent  for  Paul  a  number  of  times  and  communed  with 
him,  hoping  to  receive  a  bribe.  When  recalled  to  Rome 
in  consequence  of  repeated  complaints  of  his  misadminis- 
tration  of  justice  he,  ''wilhng  to  show  the  Jews  a  pleas- 
ure, left  Paul  bound." 

Third  Defense;  before  Festus,  the  New  Governor 
(Acts  25:1-12). — Festus,  Josephus  tells  us,  was  one  of 
the  best  procurators  of  Judea.  He  was  appointed  by 
Nero  in  the  year  60  A.D.,  and  died  two  years  after  this. 
He  is  importuned  by  "the  high-priest  and  the  chief  of  the 
Jews,  as  soon  as  he  takes  office,  to  send  Paul  back  to 
Jerusalem  (in  order  that  he  might  be  killed  on  the  way 
thither).  Festus  replies  that  they  are  to  com.e  to  Cx-sarea 
and  there  make  their  accusations  against  PauL     When 


70      Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

they  are  come  and  Festus  sits  on  the  judgment  seat  they 
make  ''many  and  grievous  complaints  against  Paul  which 
they  could  not  prove."  Paul's  answer  is:  neither  against 
the  law  of  the  Jews,  neither  against  the  temple,  nor  yet 
against  Caesar,  have  I  offended  in  anything  at  all."  But 
Festus  showed,  notwithstanding  his  many  good  traits,  a 
decided  leaning  toward  Paul's  accusers.  When  therefore 
Festus  asked  Paul  if  he  w^ould  go  back  to  Jerusalem  and 
be  there  judged  before  the  Sanhedrin,  Paul  recognizes  the 
hopelessness  of  his  case  and  exercised  his  right  as  a 
Roman  citizen  in  taking  an  appeal  to  the  judgment  seat 
of  Ceesar.  This  right  of  appeal  was  one  of  the  m.ost  im- 
portant prerogatives  of  the  Roman  citizen;  he  had  only 
to  say  the  word,  "Appello"  and  proceedings  must  at  once 
be  stopped;  his  case  must  go  to  the  court  of  the  emperor. 
In  exercising  this  appeal  Paul  very  justly  said  that  if  he 
had  done  anything  worthy  of  death  he  was  willing  to  die, 
but  if  the  charges  made  against  him  by  the  Jewish  high- 
priest  and  elders  were  not  true  he  ought  not  to  be  deliv- 
ered up  to  them. 

Fourth  Defense ;  before  Festus  and  King  Agrippa  II. 
— In  Acts  25:13-27  we  have  an  account  of  the  visit  of 
Jewish  King  Agrippa  II.  to  Festus  and  the  statement  of 
the  latter  in  regard  to  the  case  of  Paul.  Festus  is  at  a 
loss  what  to  write  about  the  prisoner,  to  the  imperial 
court  (Acts  25:25-27),  the  accusations  of  the  Jews  hav- 
ing failed  of  proof.  To  send  a  prisoner  to  Caesar  and 
not  be  able  to  state  clearly  what  his  crime  was  might 
involve  Festus  in  difficulties.  Agrippa,  as  a  Jew,  might 
be  able  to  give  some  light  upon  this  matter.  The  ques- 
tion seemed  to  be  in  regard  to  religious  freedom.  Rome 
did  not  allow  religious  liberty.  The  Jewish  religion,  how- 
ever, was  licensed  as  one  of  the  forms  under  which  men 
were  allowed  to  worship  God  in  the  Roman  empire. 
Agrippa  might  be  able  to  solve  this  question  as  to  v/hether 
Paul  was  or  was  not  within  his  legal  rights  and  the  Chris- 
tianity which  he  professed  be  as  legal  as  Judaism. 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  71 

Paul  in  his  argument  (Acts  26:1-29)  before  Festus 
and  King  Agrippa  II.,  took  the  ground  that  Christianity, 
as  an  outgrowth  of  Judaism,  nad  a  legal  status.  Paul 
said  that  he  preached  that  the  Messiah  had  come  in  the 
person  of  Jesus  Christ  and  this  was  the  One  whom  Moses 
and  the  prophets  had  foretold,  (a)  Paul's  introduction 
is  very  courteous.  He  recognizes  King  Agrippa  as  well 
versed  **in  all  customs  and  questions  which  are  among 
the  Jews.'*  (b)  He  declares  his  early  life  to  be  well  known, 
as  a  Jew,  and,  of  the  strictest  sect,  a  Pharisee,  (c)  He 
stands  accused  because  he  believes  that  the  Messiah,  whom 
all  Jews  are  praying  may  come,  has  come,  (c)  Here,  as 
Prof.  Lindsay  says,  in  his  commentary  on  the  Acts, 
* 'Agrippa  may  by  look,  word,  or  gesture  have  suggested, 
A  crucified  Messiah!  and  Paul  have  answered.  No,  but  a 
risen  Redeemer!  Is  it  incredible  that  God  should  raise 
the  dead?"  Then  Paul  continues  saying,  that,  he  himself 
was  an  enemy  of  Christ  at  first,  (d)  Paul  proceeds  with 
his  argument,  giving  his  personal  testimony,  how  this 
risen  Messiah  had  appeared  to  him  on  the  way  to  Damas- 
cus and  what  He  had  ''said  to  him.  (e)  Then  he  shows 
how  it  had  been  foretold  by  the  pfophets  and  Moses  that 
Christ  should  suffer  **and  that  He  should  be  the  first  that 
should  rise  from  the  dead,  and  should  show  forth  light 
unto  the  people,  and  to  the  Gentiles." 

The  argument  is  over  and  after  certain  remarks,  by 
Festus  and  Agrippa  which  are  characteristic  of  both  men, 
there  is  a  conference  and  a  decision  rendered  by  the 
Roman  governor  and  Jewish  King,  **That  this  man  doeth 
nothing  worthy  of  death  or  of  bonds."  But  the  appeal 
to  Caesar  cannot  be  set  aside  and  Paul  must  go  to  Rome. 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  ROMfi 

Serif  ture^  Acts  27:1-28:31 

Paul  now  begins  his  long  delayed  trip  to  Rome  not, 
however,  as  he  expected  a  free  man,  but  as  a  prisoner. 


72       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

He  comes  finally  to  Rome  and  there  testifies  of  his  faith 
in  Christ.  His  native  force  of  character  and  Christian 
graces  bring  him  to  the  front  upon  this  voyage  and  in  the 
time  of  shipwreck  he  takes  over  the  command. 

Three  ships  convey  him  to  Rome,  one  of  which  is  cast 
away  on  the  island  of  Melita;  if  we  follow  the  fortunes 
of  these  three  ships  this  section  of  Acts  may  be  divided 
into  three  parts: 

Caesarea  to  Myra  (a  city  of  Lycia)  or  the  fortunes  of 
Paul  upon  the  first  ship  (Acts  27:1-5).  Aristarchus 
and  Luke  were  the  companions  who  embarked  with  the 
Great  Apostle  upon  a  ship  of  Adramyttium.  Paul  was 
in  charge  of  Julius,  "a  centurion  of  Augustus's  band." 
The  first  stop  was  at  Sidon  where  Paul  was  given  ''liberty 
to  go  unto  his  friends  and  refresh  himself."  The  ship 
then  sailed  for  the  city  of  Myra  in  Lycia  passing  to  the 
east  and  north  of  the  island  of  Cyprus. 

Myra  to  the  Island  of  Melita,  or  the  fortunes  of  Paul 
upon  the  second  ship  (Acts  27:6-28:10).  Arrived  at 
the  city  of  Myra  the  whole  company  changed  ships,  re- 
embarking  in  a  large  ship  which  was  probably  engaged  in 
the  grain  carrying  trade  between  Alexandria  in  Egypt  and 
Rome.  This  portion  of  the  voyage  was  full  of  difficulties 
from  the  begmning.  From  Myra  to  Cnidus  (a  peninsula 
which  projected  from  the  Carian  coast  having  Cos  on  the 
north  and  Rhodes  on  the  south)  the  progress  against 
baffling  winds  was  slow.  The  first  stop  was  made  at  Fair 
Havens,  a  place  upon  the  southern  coast  of  Crete  (the 
modern  Candia).  It  was  here  that  Paul  foretold  the  seri- 
ous danger  to  the  ship  if  the  voyage  should  be  continued. 
But  the  centurion  taking  the  advice  of  the  master  and 
owner  of  the  ship,  and  because  the  harbour  "was  not 
commodious  to  winter  in,"  determined  to  make  an  attempt 
to  reach  Phenice  (a  harbour  west  of  Crete  and  upon  the 
same  side  of  the  island).  The  adventures  that  befell  the 
ship's  company,  and  the  misfortune  that  came  to  the  ship, 
in  the  terrible  fourteen  days  that  followed  after  the  depart* 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  73 

ure  from  Fair  Havens  are  best  understood  through  the 
graphic  language  of  Luke,  an  eye  witness  (Acts  27:14- 
44  should  be  read  carefully  in  this  connection).  It  is  in 
this  time  of  trial  that  Paul  steps  forth  and  shows  his 
mastery  over  men.  Comforted  himself  by  '*the  angel  of 
God*'  he  comforts  others  in  declaring  that  no  harm  shall 
come  to  the  lives  of  those  in  the  ship.  In  the  midst  of 
this  great  storm  he  alone  is  calm  and  able  to  insist  that 
his  companions  keep  up  their  courage  and  strength,  and 
not  to  give  away  to  despair.  The  island  of  Melita  (the 
modern  Malta),  where  the  shipwreck  took  place,  lies 
directly  south  of  Sicily.  The  place  where  the  Great 
Apostle  was  cast  ashore  is  nov/  known  as  St.  Paul's  Bay. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  island  received  the  ship's  company 
*'with  no  httle  kindness"  and  Paul  engaged  here  in  a  heal- 
ing ministry,  curing  the  father  of  Pubhus,  the  chief  man 
of  the  island,  of  a  fever  and  many  others  of  diseases.  In 
whatever  place  or  circumstances  Paul  comes  he  at  once 
begins  to  exercise  his  Christian  gifts. 

The  Island  of  Melita  to  Rome,  or  the  adventures  of 
Paul  on  the  third  ship  (Acts  28:11-16).  Three  months 
were  spent  at  Mehta.  Then  Paul  and  the  company  em- 
barked on  another  Alexandrian  grain  ship  for  Puteoli, 
''eight  miles  southwest  of  Naples  and  the  principal  har- 
bour south  of  Rome  in  Paul's  day."  *'It  was  the  port 
at  which  the  Egyptian  grain  ships  usually  unloaded." 
There  were  two  stops  made  on  the  way  to  PuteoH,  one  at 
Syracuse  in  Sicily  and  the  other  at  Rhegium,  at  the  south- 
ern point  of  Italy.  At  Puteoli  Paul  found  Christian 
brethren  with  whom  he  remained  for  seven  days.  The 
Roman  Christians  came  out  to  meet  Paul  at  Apii  Forum, 
forty-three  miles,  and  the  Three  Taverns,  thirty-three 
miles  from  Rome.  This  expression  of  love  and  interest 
in  him  and  his  welfare  greatly  cheered  the  heart  of  the 
Apostle. 


74       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


PAUL  AT  ROME 

TestL^yingto  the  Jews  (Acts  28: 17-27). —After  an 
interval  of  only  three  days  Paul  called  the  chief  of  the 
Jews  together,  and  explained  to  them  why  he  had  been 
sent  to  Rome.  He  declared  that  he  had  no  accusation 
to  make  against  his  nation  to  the  Roman  authorities,  but 
that  he  was  a  prisoner  on  account  of  his  advocacy  of  the 
hope  of  Israel  fulfilled  in  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  Jews 
replied  that  they  had  had  no  word  about  Paul  from  Jeru- 
salem. Desiring  to  hear  more  of  what  Paul  had  to  say 
about  the  Christians  they  appointed  a  day  in  which  they 
would  hear  Paul  at  his  lodgings.  This  hearing  was  evi- 
dently veiy  thorough,  and  the  usual  division  was  made  of 
believing  and  unbeheving  Jews. 

Testifying  to  the  Gentiles  (Acts  28:28). — Paul 
receiving  no  sufficient  response  to  his  words  from  the 
Jews  now  turns  his  attention  to  the  Gentiles. 

The  Two  Years'  Imprisonment  (Acts  28:30,  31)  was 
spent  in  preaching  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  his  own 
hired  house,  and  receiving  all  who  came  to  him.  Although 
Paul  was  a  prisoner  he  was  allowed  complete  freedom  of 
speech. 

Incidental  Notices  of  this  Imprisonment  are  found  in 
the  four  Epistles  which  were  written  from  Rome  during 
its  continuance.  Prof.  J.  R.  Lumby,  D.D.  (Acts,  Cam- 
bridge Bible  for  Schools  and  Colleges)  says:  **We  know 
from  first  to  last  the  prisoner's  chain  hurt  Paul  (Eph.  3:1; 
4:1;  Phil.  1:13,  16;  Col.  4:18;  Philem.  1,9,  10),  and 
that  his  cause  was  at  times  an  object  of  much  anxiety 
(Phil.  2:23,  24).  We  also  learn  from  the  same  letters 
that  besides  Luke  and  Aristarchus  (Acts  27:2;  28:15)  he 
had  also  the  fellowship,  for  some  time  at  least,  of  Tychi- 
cus,  who  (Eph.  6:21)  was  the  bearer  of  his  letter  to 
Ephesus;  of  Timothy,  whom  (Phil.  i:i;  Col.  i:i; 
Philem.  i)  he  joins  with  himself  in  the  greeting  to  the 
churches  of  Phihppi  and   Colossac  and  also  in  that  to 


Jerusalem  to  Rome  75 

Philemon.  In  the  former  of  these  churches  Timothy  had 
been  a  fellow  laborer  with  the  Apostle.  Epaphroditus 
came  with  the  Philippian  CDntributions  to  the  aid  of  the 
imprisoned  Apostle  (Phil.  4:18).  Onesimus  found  out 
Paul  when  in  flight  from  his  master  he  made  his  way  to 
Rome  (Col.  4:9;  Philem.  io).  Mark,  the  cousin  of 
Barnabas,  was  also  there  and  another  Jewish  convert, 
Jesus,  called  Justus,  of  whom  we  only  know  that  the 
Apostle  considered  him  worthy  to  be  called  a  fellow 
worker  unto  the  kingdom  of  God  (Col.  4:1 1)<  Epaphras 
from  the  churches  of  Laodice^  and  Hieropolis,  had  come 
to  visit  Paul,  and  to  bring  him  greetings  doubtless  of  the 
Christians  there,  and  carry  back  some  words  of  earnest 
council  and  advice  from  the  Roman  prisoner  (Col. 
4:12,  13).  Last  of  all  Demas  v/as  there  to  be  mentioned 
as  having  forsaken  the  good  way  through  love  of  this 
present  world  (Col.  4:14;  2  Tim.  4: to).  More  than 
this  and  the  few  words  in  verses  thirty  and  thirty-one,  of 
Acts  28,  we  do  not  know  of  this  first  imprisonment." 
His  spirit  however  was  unsubdued  through  all  his  hard- 
ships and  he  was  ever  exhorting  the  disciples  of  Christ  to 
rejoice  in  Him  (Phil.  2:1,  2;  4:4). 

The  Further  Travels  of  Paul  are   considered   in 
Study  10. 


^6       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


QUESTIONS 

How  much  space  does  the  account  of  this  journey  occupy  in 
the  Acts,  and  why  is  so  much  given  to  it?  What  do  the  seven 
speeches  of  Paul  signify?  What  Epistles  did  Paul  write  while  at 
Rome?  Give  the  time  and  extent  of  this  journey.  Give  the  his- 
torical connections.  Why  did  Paul  return  to  Jerusalem?  Give 
an  account  of  his  meeting  with  James  and  the  elders;  the  temple 
riot;  his  speech  to  the  rioters;  and  his  speech  before  the  Jewish 
Council.  How  was  Paul  comforted  by  God?  What  was  the  con- 
spiracy of  the  Jewish  fanatics?  How  long  did  Paul  remain  a 
prisoner  at  Caesarea?  Give  an  account  of  his  first  defense  before 
his  Jewish  accusers,  and  the  Roman  governor  Felix;  his  second 
defense  before  Felix;  his  third  defense  before  Festus;  and  his 
fourth  defense  before  Festus  and  King  Agrippa  H.  Give  an 
account  of  the  voyage  to  Rome;  Ccesarea  to  Myra;  Myra  to 
Melita;  and  Melita  to  Rome.  What  did  Paul  testify  to  the  Jews 
and  Gentiles  in  Rome?  Where  do  we  find  incidental  notices  of 
this  imprisonment? 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  VII 
THE    FUTURE    OF    CHRIST^S    KINGDOM 

FIRST    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 

FIRST    AND    SECOND    EPISTLES    TO    THE    THESSALONIANS 

ANALYSIS 

Introduction  to  the  Epistles  of  Paul— Epistolary  Writings.     Some 

Reasons  for  Paul's  Writings.     Qualifications  of  Paul.     How 

the    Epistles    are    Best    Understood.     Titles    and    Groups. 

Common  Plan.     Supreme  Purpose. 
The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom— The  First  Group  of  Epistles. 

The  Chief  Doctrinal  Point. 
The  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians— The    Founding   of   the 

Church.    Occasion,  Time,  and  Place  of  Writing.     Contents. 

Analysis. 
The  Second  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians— Occasion,  Time,  and 

Place  of  Writing.     Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  VII 
THE   FUTURE   OF   CHRIST'S   KINGDOM 

FIRST   GROUP   OF  EPISTLES 

THE   FIRST   AND   SECOND   EPISTLES  TO   THE 
THESSALONIANS 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLES  OF  PAUL 

Epistolary  Writings — The  New  Testament  is  com- 
posed of  twenty-seven  books,  twenty-one  of  which  are 
Epistles.  Of  this  latter  number  thirteen  are  ascribed  to 
Paul.  It  is  thus  seen  how  largely  the  New  Testament  is 
made  up  of  Epistles  and  how  many  of  these  are  attributed 
to  the  Great  Apostle. 

In  the  letters  of  men  of  great  prominence  and  power 
of  any  age  we  get  closer  to  the  real  condition  of  the  affairs 
of  that  age  than  by  any  other  means.  In  this  way,  we 
get  information  at  first  hand  from  the  participants  in  the 
events  of  which  they  write.  It  is  fortunate  for  us  that 
we  have  this  first  hand  material  with  which  to  deal,  when 
we  come  to  study  the  early  growth  and  development  of 
Christianity. 

By  means  of  the  New  Testament  Epistles  (which  are 
real  letters  and  written  with  a  definite  purpose  in  view) 
we  look  directly  into  the  faith,  the  customs,  and  practices 
of  the  early  Christian  churches.  We  see  how  they  were 
organized  and  how  they  conducted  their  services.  We 
see  the  marvelous  changes  wrought  in  the  lives  and  char- 
acters of  the  converts.    We  note  that  the  triumphs  of  faith 

79 


8o       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


were  won  through  a  behef  in  the  Divine  Son  of  God  and 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  struggles  and  diffi- 
culties of  these  early  Christians  in  coming  out  of  heathen- 
ism are  depicted  in  a  masterly  way.  Paul,  in  his  endeavor 
to  guide  aright  the  churches,  of  which  he  had  been  the 
spiritual  father,  shows  what  he  believes  and  teaches  about 
God,  the  Holy  Ghost,  Jesus  Christ,  sin,  redemption,  and  the 
future  state  of  the  soul.  In  these  letters  the  incidental 
and  indirect  references  to  the  doctrines  taught,  and  the  cus- 
toms of  the  early  churches,  are  as  valuable  as  the  direct. 

Some  Reasons  for  PauPs  Writings — The  Apostle 
was  the  founder  of  churches  over  a  large  area  of  territory. 
He  soon  realized,  however,  that  it  was  impossible  to  visit 
them  as  often  as  he  desired  and  as  frequently  as  he 
ought.  Many  of  the  converts  had  come  out  of  heathen- 
ism  and  needed  doctrinal  and  ethical  instruction  in  the 
way  of  Christ.  They  also  needed  encouragement,  com- 
fort, and  sometimes  sharp  correction  for  outbreaking  sins 
As  means  of  communication  were  open  and  easy  along 
the  well  kept  Roman  roads,  what  was  more  natural  than 
that  Paul  should  begin  to  write  letters  which  were  not 
only  to  be  read  by  the  particular  churches  to  which  the) 
were  addressed,  but  passed  on  to  the  other  churches. 

Qualifications  of  Paul. 

1.  Intellectual.  He  was  not  only  pre-eminent  as  a 
missionary,  but  even  more  remarkable  as  a  writer.  "He 
was  the  greatest  thinker  of  his  age,  if  not  of  any  age, 
who  in  the  midst  of  his  outward  labors  was  producing 
writings  which  have  ever  since  been  among  the  mightiest 
intellectual  forces  of  the  world  and  are  still  growing." 

2.  Spiritual.  He  had  been  converted  in  a  wonderful 
way  and  had  received  a  special  revelation  from  Christ 
(Acts  9:3-15;  I  Cor.  15:3;  Gal.  i:ii,  12).  He  had 
been  called  to  his  great  work  among  the  Gentiles  by  Christ 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  (Acts  9:15;  13:2).  He  was  abso- 
lutely absorbed  in  the  work  of  Christ  and  in  making 
known  His  gospel. 


The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom      8i 

How  the  Epistles  are  Best  Understood Each  one 

should  be  studied  in  the  Hght  of  the  occasion  which  called 
it  forth  and  in  connection  with  the  church,  group  of 
churches,  or  the  individual  to  which  it  is  addressed. 

Titles  and  Groups — The  thirteen  Epistles  fall  natur- 
ally into  four  groups;  in  each  of  which  is  set  forth  some 
great  doctrinal  and  ethical  truth. 

First  Group,  First  and  Second  Thessalonians.  ** These 
Epistles  are  short,  simple,  and  practical.  They  may  be 
regarded  as  illustrating  Paul's  earlier  missionary  instruc- 
tion to  his  converts — hence  the  name  'Missionary  Epistles,  * 
sometimes  apphed  to  them.  They  treat  of  but  one  doc- 
trinal subject — the  second  coming  of  Christ.'*  It  should 
be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  Paul  speaks  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  **The  Lord,"  "Our  Lord,"  about  twenty-five 
times  in  First  Thessalonians;  this  shows  how  thoroughly 
he  beheved  in  the  Deity  of  Christ. 

Second  Group,  Galatians,  First  and  Second  Corinthi- 
ans and  Romans.  **This  group  is  the  great  repertory  of 
Paul's  doctrinal  and  ethical  teaching.  Galatians  and 
Romans  deal  chiefly  with  his  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith.  They  are  designed  to  disprove  the  current  Jewish 
teaching  (which  was  invading  the  churches)  that  men 
might  be  saved  by  obedience  to  the  Mosaic  law.  On  the 
contrary  Paul  maintained  that  the  sole  basis  of  salvation 
is  the  grace  of  God  to  be  appropriated  by  faith  on  man's 
part." 

Third  Group^  Colossians,  Philemon,  Ephesians,  and 
Philippians.  ''This  group  is  predominantly  Christologi- 
cal.  Errors  had  invaded  the  churches  addressed,  which 
tended  to  degrade  the  person  and  work  of  Christ,  and  the 
Apostle  writes  with  a  view  to  showing  his  pre-eminence 
and  saving  power,  so  that  the  readers  may  be  induced  to 
keep  their  allegiance  to  Christ  and  His  gospel." 

Fourth  Group,  First  Timothy,  Titus  and  Second  Tim- 
othy. "These  are  called  'The  Pastoral  Epistles,*  and  were 
designed  to  instruct  Timothy  and  Titus  as  superintend- 


82       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

ents  of  the  churches  in  Ephesus  and  Crete,  and  were  thus 
semi-official  in  character.  But  they  have  also  a  strong 
personal  element  and  a  tone  of  warm  sympathy  and  affec- 
tion.*' The  above  characterization  of  the  four  groups  of 
these  Epistles  by  Prof.  G.  B.  Stevens  is  brief  and  to  the 
point. 

Common  Plan. — The  plan  in  all  of  Paul's  Epistles, 
with  sHght  variations,  is  much  the  same.  The  outlines  of 
these  letters  fall  uniformly  into  six  divisions.  "First,  a 
greeting  sometimes  very  brief,  sometimes  extending  over 
several  verses,  in  which  he  generally  manages  with  con- 
summate skill  to  strike  the  keynote  of  the  whole  letter. 
Secondly,  a  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  Christian  gifts 
and  graces  of  his  converts.  Thirdly,  a  doctrinal  part,  in 
which  he  argues  out  or  explains  some  great  topic  of 
Christian  truth,  specially  required  by  the  condition  of  the 
church  to  which  he  is  writing.  ^  Fourthly,  a  practical  sec- 
tion, in  which  he  applies  to  daily  moral  duties  the  great 
doctrines  which  he  has  developed.  Fifthly,  personal 
messages,  salutations,  and  details.  Sixthly,  a  brief  auto- 
graph conclusion  to  ratify  the  genuineness  of  the  entire 
letter." 

The  Supreme  Purpose  was  to  make  known  the  Divine 
Christ  as  the  Savior  of  all  men,  both  Jew  and  Gentile 
(i  Cor.  2:1-16;  Col.  1:9-29;  Phil.  2:9-11;  Acts  26:22, 
23;  Rom.  3:9-31). 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CHRIST'S  KINGDOM 

FIRST    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 

THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  EPISTLES  TO  THE 
THESSALONIANS 

The  First  Group  of  Epistles The  First  and  Second 

Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  are  the  earliest  writings  of 
Paul  of  which  we  have  any  certain  knowledge.  He  may 
possibly  have  written  earlier  epistles,  which  are  now  lost. 


The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom      S3 

He  speaks  of  writing  a  salutation  "in  every  epistle*' 
(2  Thess.  3:17),  "with  mine  own  hand/'  which  may 
imply  that  he  had  already  written  a  number  of  Epistles. 
In  regard  to  later  writings  he  also  speaks  of  an  Epistle 
(i  Cor.  5:9)  to  the  Corinthians  written  to  them  before 
that  now  known  as  First  Corinthians  and  of  one  written 
to  the  Laodiceans  (Col.  4:16);  of  these  writings  we  have 
no  record  save  these  incidental  notices,  if  these  notices 
refer  to  lost  Epistles. 

The  Chief  Doctrinal  Point  considered  in  this  group  is 
"The  Future  of  Christ^s  Kingdom"  as  it  was  related  to  His 
second  coming  (i  Thess.  4:13-5:9,  compare  2  Thess. 
2:1-17).  Jt  was  natural  that,  after  so  great  a  manifesta- 
tion oi  the  Divine  Christ,  the  earlier  believers  in  Him 
should  make  much  of  the  promise  that  He  said  He  would 
come  again,  and  amid  their  troubles  and  difficulties  the 
strong  tendency  would  be  to  think  that  second  coming 
was  close  at  hand.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  however  that 
the  near  approach  of  a  great  joy  or  sorrow  unfits  men  and 
women  for  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  life.  Paul,  in  his  first 
letter  to  the  members  of  the  church  of  Thessalonica, 
spoke  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ  to  reHeve*^  their 
minds  of  a  ^orry  over  those  who  had  died  since  he  had 
preached  to  them  (lest  they  should  not  see  the  Lord  when 
He  came),  and  also  to  encourage  them  in  their  faith 
(I  Thess.  4:13-18).  It  seems  that  Paul  was  taken  to  mean 
by  what  he  wrote  that  Christ's  coming  was  near  at  hand. 
The  believers  in  Christ,  in  Thessalonica,  began  to  give  up 
their  ordinary  avocations  and  pursuits  in  speedy  anticipa- 
tion of  this  great  event.  He  therefore  takes  occasion  in 
his  second  letter  to  the  church  to  correct  the  impression 
that  Christ's  coming  (2  Thess.  2:1-17)  was  near  at  hand. 
He  exhorts  them  to  true  and  faithful  living  in  the  sight  of 
their  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (2  Thess.  3:1-18)  as  the  best  way 
to  serve  their  Divine  Master.  The  principle  of  the  true 
Christian  life  is  here  set  forth  in  a  masterly  way;  it  holds 
good  for  all  time  and  all  peoples. 


84       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 

The  Founding  of  the  Church  at  Thessalonica  (Acts 
17:1-10). — Paul  was  on  his  second  missionary  journey 
and  this  church  was  the  second  which  he  organized  in 
Europe.  He  entered  into  the  synagogue  at  Thessalonica 
and  three  Sabbath  days  reasoned  with  the  Jews  out  of  the 
scriptures,  *' opening  and  alleging,  that  Christ  must  needs 
have  suffered  and  risen  again  from  the  dead;  and  that  this 
Jesus,  whom  I  preach  to  you,  is  Christ"  (Acts  17:3). 
Through  this  preaching  a  few  of  the  Jews  believed  *'and 
of  the  devout  Greeks  a  great  multitude,  and  of  the  chief 
women  not  a  few."  It  appears  from  this  account  that 
the  church  was  mostly  made  up  of  Gentiles.  But  through 
the  opposition  of  the  Jews  all  the  city  was  set  in  an  uproar 
and  Paul  was  sent  away  by  night  to  Berea. 

Occasion,  Time,  and  Place  of  Writing. — Paul  left 
Thessalonica  unwillingly  for  he  had  a  great  affection  for 
his  converts  in  this  city.  Twice  he  endeavored  to  return, 
but  was  prevented  from  doing  so  (2:17,  18).  When 
he  reached  Athens  (Acts  17:15)  he  grew  so  anxious  about 
the  church  at  Thessalonica  that  he  sent  Timothy  back  to 
see  how  it  prospered  (3:1,  2).  While  Timothy  was 
gone  on  his  mission  Paul  went  on  to  Corinth  (Acts 
18:1).  Here  Timothy  found  him  when  he  returned  with 
his  report  of  the  church  (Acts  18:5;  I  Thess.  3:6). 
Paul  was  greatly  pleased  with  what  Timothy  had  to  say 
about  the  converts.  While  enduring  persecution  they 
were  standing  fast  in  the  Lord  and  devoted  to  their  faith 
in  Christ  (3:7-13).  The  report  which  Timothy  brought 
was  the  occasion  of  the  first  letter  to  this  church. 

The  time  was,  in  all  probability,  in  the  winter  of  52-53 
A.D.,  and  the  place  of  writing  was  at  Corinth,  where 
Paul  remained  for  over  a  year  and  a  half  (Acts  18: 1, 
II,  18). 

Contents. — The  first  three  chapters  are  of  a  personal 
character  and  show  how  dear  to  Paul's  heart  were  these 


The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom      85 

converts  of  Thessalonica.  They  also  show  the  good 
record  made  for  the  short  time  since  they  had  embraced 
Christianity.  But  nothing  could  be  more  revolutionary 
in  those  days  than  to  become  a  Christian;  therefore  Paul 
takes  occasion  to  correct  social,  moral,  and  doctrinal 
faults  and  to  instruct  them  more  fully  in  the  faith,  in 
Christ,  which  they  professed.  In  the  matter  of  doctrine 
Paul  mentions  Christ  as  "the  Lord,*'  **our  Lord"  about 
twenty-five  times,  showing  his  belief  in  and  teaching  of 
the  Deity  of  Christ.  In  regard  to  Christ's  speedy  second 
coming,  of  which  many  seem  to  have  had  a  lively  expec- 
tation so  that  they  were  troubled  when  some  died  lest 
these  had  lost  their  opportunity  to  see  this  glorious  event, 
Paul  writes  to  reassure  them  that  all  believers,  those  who 
have  died  and  those  who  are  alive  at  that  time,  *'will  enter 
together  and  share  equally  in  the  blessings  of  Christ's 
heavenly  kingdom"  (4:13-18).  The  Epistle  closes  with 
exhortations  to  be  joyful,  thankful,  and  prayerful. 
Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Introduction  (i:i-io)  Personal  address  and  sal- 
utation. Thanksgiving  for  their  faith,  love  and  hope  in 
Jesus  Christ  and  for  their  conversion. 

2.  Narrative  (2:1-4:12).  How  the  gospel  was  given 
and  how  it  was  received  at  Thessalonica.  An  account  of 
Paul's  care  and  anxiety  for  the  church.  Paul's  prayer  for 
their  estabhshment  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.  Exhorta- 
tion to  abstain  as  followers  of  Christ  from  impurity  and 
fraud;  to  follow  after  holiness  and  brotherly  love. 

3.  Doctrinal  (4:13-5:11).  The  second  advent  of 
Christ.  The  parts  which  the  dead  and  hving  will  have 
when  Christ  shall  come  again.  The  uncertainty  of  the 
time.     The  need  of  constant  watchfulness. 

4.  Practical  (5:12-28).  Rules  for  the  conduct  of  the 
church,  its  overseers  and  members.  Exhortation  to  be 
joyful,  prayerful,  and  thankful.  Closing  prayer  that  they 
may  be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Greeting  and  benediction. 


86       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 

Occasion,  Time,  and  Place  oi  Writing. — What  Paul 
wrote  about  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  in  the  First 
Epistle,  seems  to  have  been  misunderstood  by  the  church 
at  Thessalonica  (1:7-3:11).  Then  too  there  was  prob- 
ably a  spurious  epistle  (and  ihis  may  have  occasioned 
much  of  the  trouble)  in  circulaiion,  in  which  Paul  is  evi- 
dently made  to  declare  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  close  at 
hand  {2:2).  He  writes  of  this  false  epistle  very  vigor- 
ously that  they  be  not  troubled  in  spirit  by  a  letter,  *'as 
from  us,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand."  Evidently 
some  were  neglecting  their  worK.  becoming  impatient  at 
the  delay  in  Christ's  coming  ^315,  1 1,  12)  and  walking 
disorderly. 

The  Epistle  opens,  with  an  eripression  of  thanks  for  the 
general  condition  of  the  churcn  and  that  it  was  enduring 
persecutions  and  tribulations  weii  (l:2-6).  Hence  it  i. 
evident  that  some  but  not  all  01  ine  church  members  were 
out  of  accord  with  an  earnest  sensible  faith  in  Christ. 
This  Epistle  reflects  certain  conaitions  which  Paul  had 
to  meet  in  his  work  and  shows  now  he  sought  to  check 
any  defections  from  right  conceoiions  of  true  Christian 
doctrine  and  life.  In  the  secona  chapter  Paul  shows  that 
the  *'day  of  Christ"  may  not  speedily  come,  that  certain 
other  things  must  come  to  pass  before  it  is  revealed  (com- 
pare Matthew  ch.  24),  and  that  the  true  Christian  way  is 
to  stand  fast  always  in  the  Lord.  In  thus  standing  fast 
every  believer  will  grow  in  faith  and  grace. 

The  duties  taught  are  "courage  and  faith  under  perse- 
cution and  calmness  and  quiet  industry  in  the  presence  of 
the  greatest  expectations." 

The  time  of  writing  w^as  probably,  a  few  months  after 
that  of  the  First  Epistle,  in  53  A.D.  The  place  of  writ- 
ing was  Corinth. 


The  Future  of  Christ's  Kingdom      87 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Introduction  (1:1-4).  Salutation.  Thanksgiving 
for  the  growth  of  faith  in  the  Thessalonian  church. 

2 .  Doctrinal  (1:5-2:17).  The  great  day  of  the 
Lord.  The  Thessalonians  seemingly  misunderstood  Paul's 
first  letter  and  he  now  more  fully  explains  the  second 
advent  of  Christ.  It  will  be  a  day  of  terrible  retribution 
for  the  unbeliever  but  one  of  glory  for  all  who  trust  in 
Him.  A  warning  is  given  not  to  think  the  day  near  at 
hand.  Certain  things  must  first  come  to  pass;  "a.  falhng 
away,"  "a  man  of  sin,"  **signs  and  lying  wonders." 
Thanksgiving  that  the  Thessalonians  have  been  chosen  to 
salvation  through  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit. 

3.  Conclusion  (Ch.  3).  Paul  requests  prayer  for 
himself  that  ''the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course 
and  be  glorified"  with  him;  he  also  desires  that  the  Lord 
may  direct  their  ''hearts  into  the  love  of  God  and  into  the 
patient  waiting  for  Christ."  Paul  gives  command  to 
discipline  the  disorderly  and  that  every  man  earn  his  own 
hving.  Exhortation  to  be  not  weary  in  well  doing. 
Salutation  and  benediction. 


QUESTIONS 

What  can  be  said  of  epistolary  writings ;  their  place  and  use- 
fulness? Give  some  reasons  for  Paul's  writings.  What  were  the 
qualifications  of  Paul?  How  are  the  Episdes  best  understood? 
What  can  be  said  of  the  four  groups  and  their  characteristics? 
What  is  the  common  plan?  What  is  the  supreme  purpose?  What 
can  be  said  of  the  first  group  of  Epistles;  First  and  Second 
Thessalonians?  What  is  the  chief  doctrinal  point?  The  First 
Epistle;  what  can  be  said  of  the  founding  of  the  church  at  Thessa- 
lonica?  What  can  be  said  of  the  occasion,  time,  and  place  of 
writing?  What  are  the  contents?  Give  the  four  parts  of  the 
principal  divisions  and  chief  points.  The  Second  Epistle;  what 
can  be  said  of  the  occasion,  time,  and  place  of  writing?  Give  the 
three  parts  of  the  principal  divisions  and  chief  points. 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  VIII 
THE    OLD    FAITHS    AND    THE    NEW 

SECOND    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 

GALATIANS.       FIRST    AND    SECOND    CORINTHIANS. 

ROMANS 

ANALYSIS 

Problems  of  Early  Christianity — The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New. 

The  Great  Question.    The  Jewish  Faith.    The  Heathen  Faith. 

The  New  Faith  in  Christ.     Practical  Beaiing  upon  Present 

Day  Living.     The  Epistles  of  this  Group. 
The  Epistle  to  the  Galatians— The  Galatians,    Time  of  Writing. 

Occasion  and  Purpose.     Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 
The  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians — The  Church  at  Corinth.    The 

City  of  Corinth. 
The  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians — Occasion   and    Purpose. 

Place    and    Time.    The    Supremacy  of    Christ.     Principal 

Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 
The  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians — Occasion  and  Purpose. 

Place  and  Time.     Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 
The  Epistle  to  the  Romans — The  Church  at  Rome.    Occasion  and 

Purpose.     Place    and    Time.     Central    Thought.     Principal 

Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  VIII 
THE    OLD   FAITHS   AND   THE    NEW 

SECOND    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 

GALATIANS.       FIRST    AND    SECOND    CORINTHIANS. 

ROMANS 

PROBLEMS  OF  EARLY  CHRISTIANITY 

The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New. — In  this  second  group 
of  Epistles,  Galatians,  First  and  Second  Corinthians,  and 
Romans,  we  enter  upon  a  period  of  conflict  in  which 
Christianity  is  being  defined,  and  differentiated  from 
Judaism  and  Heathenism.  No  great  truth  ever  came  into 
the  world  without  a  battle  for  its  right  to  the  attention  of 
men. 

The  new  faith  in  Christ  made  large  claims  for  itself. 
It  marked  an  advance  upon  Judaism  and  maintained  that 
in  Christ  was  fulfilled  all  the  promises  made  by  the  proph- 
ets of  the  coming  of  the  Jewish  Messiah.  It  radically  an- 
tagonized the  heathen  religions.  It  had  a  double  task  to  win 
men  out  of  Judaism  and  heathenism.  Only  by  a  careful 
study  of  these  great  doctrinal  Epistles,  and  the  circum- 
stances out  of  which  they  arose,  can  it  be  seen  how  really 
great  was  this  task. 

The  Great  Question  was:  **On  what  terms  does  God 
save  men?  Does  He  owe  salvation  to  any  because  of 
what  they  have  done,  or  does  He  bestow  it  as  an  un- 
merited favor  upon  condition  of  trust  and  self-surrender?'* 
Paul  maintained  that  the  sole  basis  of  salvation  is  the 

9» 


gi       Bible  Studies  In  the  Life  of  Paul 

grace  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ  to  be  appropriated  by 
faith  on  the  part  of  man.     This  is  still  the  great  question. 

The  Jewish  Faith  had  been  long  in  the  world.  Its 
prophets  had  two  great  themes,  the  Messiah  and  the  Mes- 
sianic Kingdom.  All  Israel,  while  observing  feast  and 
fast  days  the  precepts  of  the  Mosaic  law  and  offering 
sacrifices,  looked  forward  to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah 
and  the  establishment  of  His  kingdom  upon  earth,  as  the 
supreme  fulfillment  its  hopes. 

It  is  the  contention  of  Paul  in  these  Epistles  that  this 
Messiah  has  come  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ  and  ful- 
filled all  the  promises  made  to  Israel,  and  that,  through 
faith  in  Him,  believers  are  released  from  the  observance 
of  the  precepts  of  the  Mosaic  law. 

There  were  two  parties  of  Jews  who  sought  to  check 
the  advance  of  the  early  church,  with  its  all  sufficient 
Savior.  First,  there  were  the  Jews  who  denied  any  and 
every  claim  of  Christ  to  be  the  Messiah;  of  this  party 
were  the  rioters  who  drove  Paul  out  of  city  after  city  and 
sought  to  kill  him  in  the  temple.  Second,  there  were  the 
Jewish  Christians  who  "asserted  that  their  faith  was  Juda- 
ism with  a  new  prophet;  that  the  law  of  Moses  and  Mosaic 
ceremonial  practices  were  binding  on  Christians  as  well  as 
on  unbelieving  Jews;  that  Gentile  believers  must  first 
become  proselytes  to  Judaism  before  they  could  become 
Christians;  and  lastly  that  circumcision  was  the  only  gate- 
way to  baptism."  With  the  first  class  of  Jews  it  was  not 
so  difficult  to  deal,  for  they  were  out  and  out  antagonists, 
but  the  Jewish  Christians,  (who  still  clung  to  the  Jewish 
law)  were  constantly  making  trouble  not  only  amongst  the 
Christian  Jews,  who  had  fully  come  out  from  under  the 
law  of  Moses  and  expressed  their  faith  in  Christ,  but  also 
among  the  Christian  Gentiles  who  had  come  out  of  the 
heathen  rehgions.  The  masterly  arguments  of  Paul,  pre- 
sented in  Galatians  and  Romans,  deal  chiefly  with  the 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  alone.     In 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New         93 

Gal.  5:1-4  he  calls  the  return  to  Jewish  belief  and  prac- 
tice, * 'falling  from  grace." 

The  Heathen  Faith. — The  people  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire were  idolaters.  Temples  for  the  worship  of  idols 
occupied  prominent  positions  in  every  city.  Some  of 
them  were  very  beautiful,  from  an  architectural  point  of 
view.  But  the  objects  of  worship,  frequently,  were  of  the 
basest  sort.  This  worship  caused  a  notorious  laxness  of 
view  in  regard  to  the  relations  between  the  sexes.  This 
state  of  things  is  not  overstated  by  Paul  in  his  epistle  to 
the  Romans  (1:18-23).  It  was  this  condition  of  idolat- 
rous worship  which  led  to  the  decision  of  the  Jerusalem 
Council  in  regard  to  the  Gentile  converts  (Acts  15:29). 
The  Christianity  which  Paul  taught  called  for  a  pure  and 
upright  hfe  and  a  subjugation  of  human  passion.  We  see 
the  effects  of  former  idolatrous  lives  manifesting  them- 
selves in  the  evils  which  Paul  sought  to  correct  in  his 
letters  to  the  Corinthians.  It  was  no  small  conflict  in 
which  the  Great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  engaged  when  he 
sought  to  cleanse,  through  Christ,  the  base  idolatrous 
hearts  of  the  men  of  his  times. 

The  New  Faith  in  Christ. — Paul  stands  for  spiritual 
freedom  in  Christ  and  loyalty  to  Him  as  Divine  Lord 
without  the  necessity  of  observing  the  minute  regulations 
of  the  Jewish  ritual.  He  insists  upon  purity  of  soul  and 
outward  life  as  opposed  to  the  laxness  of  the  idolaters. 
Each  individual  soul  is  related  to  Christ  to  whom  it  is 
responsible. 

Practical  Bearing  upon  Present  Day  Living. — The 
things  contended  for,  the  evils  scored  in  these  Epistles 
may  seem  to  belong  to  dead  controversies,  but  they  do 
not.  While  it  is  a  fact  that  Christianity  has  freed  itself 
from  Judaism  and  the  heathen  religions  have  been  con- 
quered, the  old  evils  still  manifest  themselves  and  the 
same  remedies  must  be  apphed  to  them.  Many  to-day 
will  do  works  of  the  law  (Gal.  2:16)  who  have  no  use  for 
Christ,  or  His  church,  thinking  in  this  way  to  buy  their 


9V       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

way  to  God.  These  are  the  old  Judaizers  come  to  life 
again.  They  often  know  nothing  and  care  less  for  spirit- 
ual things  and  heart  righteousness.  Sensuality,  and  all  its 
attendant  evils,  driven  from  the  old  heathen  temples, 
manifests  itself  in  many  ways;  it  still  seeks  to  array  itself 
in  beautiful  garments  that  it  may  lure  many  to  ruin. 
There  is  need  of  repeating  over  again  the  arguments  of 
Paul  for  a  pure  life  lived  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  spiritual  upbuilding  of  the  soul  through  Him.  Paul 
also  insists  upon  good  works  as  the  outcome  of  faith,  but 
faith  must  come  first. 

The  Epistles  of  this  Group  were  Written  on  the  tnird 
missionary  journey. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  GALATIANS 

The  Galatians  to  whom  this  Epistle  was  addressed; 
who  were  they.-*  The  name  Galatia  was  used  in  two  ways. 
Geographically  to  denote  the  country  inhabited  by  the 
Celtic  tribes  (who  were  descended  from  the  Gauls  and 
who  formerly  inhabited  the  country  we  now  call  France). 
Politically  it  meant  the  Roman  province  which  also  in- 
cluded "Psidia,  Lycaonia,  and  part  of  Phrygia  to  the  south 
of  Galatia  proper."  It  has  been  a  question  which  of  the 
two  Paul  intended  to  address  in  his  letter.  There  are  no 
particular  names  of  churches  which  are  specified.  Many 
scholars  think  that  Paul  means  to  address  his  Epistle  to 
the  churches  of  the  Roman  province.  In  this  case  the 
letter  would  be  sent  to  the  churches  of  a  wide  area,  and 
primarily  addressed  to  those  founded  in  the  first  mission- 
ary journey  at  Antioch,  Iconium,  Derbe,  and  Lystra 
(Acts  14:1-28). 

Luke  speaks  also  of  a  region  lying  roundabout  Derbe  and 
Lystra  where  the  gospel  was  preached  on  this  first  journey 
(Acts  14:6).  The  passage  in  Galatians  (2:5)  in  which 
Paul  refers  to  the  Jerusalem  Council  where  he  contended 
for  the  liberty  in  Christ  of  the  Gentiles  would  naturally  be 
taken  to  mean  these  first  churches  (however  wide  the 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New         95 

application)  as  the  Jerusalem  Council  was  held  at  the  close 
of  the  first  missionary  journey.  The  word  Galatia  may 
be  used  in  the  narrower  sense  also  by  Luke  in  speaking  of 
the  beginning  of  Paul's  second  (Acts  l6:6)  and  third 
(Acts  18:23)  missionary  journeys.  It  would  be  natural 
for  the  Judaizers,  who  sought  to  turn  back  the  converts 
of  Paul  to  Judaism,  to  begin  with  the  churches  in  South 
Galatia  first. 

Time  of  Writing. — The  common  opinion  is  that  this 
epistle  was  written  at  Ephesus,  during  Paul's  long  stay 
there  on  his  third  missionary  journey  or  between  54  and 
56  A.D.     Some  however  would  place  the  date  earher. 

Occasion  and  Purpose. — That  which  caused  Paul  to 
write  this  first  of  his  great  doctrinal  Epistles  was  the 
teaching  of  certain  Judaizers  who  had  found  their  way 
into  the  churches  of  Galatia.  They  claimed  that  the 
Jewish  law  was  binding  upon  believers  in  Christ,  and 
declared  that  salvation  was  through  works  of  the  law. 
They  insisted  upon  the  rite  of  circumcision.  Paul's 
gospel  and  authority  were  disparaged. 

Paul  wrote  this  Epistle  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
that  **  faith  in  Christ  was  the  sole  and  sufficient  condition 
of  salvation." 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Introduction  (i:i-io)  Salutation.  Subject  of  the 
Epistle;  the  defection  of  the  Galatian  churches. 

2.  The  divine  commission  given  to  Paul  as  an  apostle 
(1:11-2:21)  He  makes  a  statement  of  his  claims  and 
gives  a  sketch  of  his  life.  The  gospel  he  preached  came 
not  from  man  but  through  a  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
All  this  is  to  show  the  authenticity  of  his  claims. 

3.  Doctrinal.  Justification  is  by  faith  (ch.  3-4). 
The  Galatian  churches  had  received  the  Spirit  through 
faith  and  not  by  law;  why  should  they  turn  back?  The 
superiority  of  faith  is  shown  by  Abraham's  faith.  The 
covenant  of  the  promise  of  Christ  was  before  the  law. 
The  law  is  subordinate  to  faith,  its  purpose  is  to  bring 


q6       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

men  to  Christ.     There  is  serious  danger  in  returning  to 
the  law. 

4.  Practical.  Application  of  the  doctrinal  teaching 
(ch.  5-6:10).  An  exhortation  to  stand  fast  in  the  liberty 
of  Christ;  this  liberty  excludes  Judaism.  A  warning 
against  the  abuse  of  Christian  liberty.  The  works  of  the 
flesh  and  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.     Sowing  and  reaping. 

5.  Autograph  conclusion  (6:11-18).  Summary  of 
the  Epistle.  The  glory  of  the  Apostle  is  in  the  cross  of 
Christ.     Benediction. 

THE  EPISTLES  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

The  Church  at  Corinth  was  founded  during  Paul's 
second  missionary  journey  (Acts  i8:i-i8).  When  the 
Apostle  came  to  Corinth  he  found  a  home  with  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  and  worked  with  them  at  his  trade  as  a  tent- 
maker.  He  preached  in  Corinth  for  over  a  year  and  a 
half.  Although  Paul  was  the  means  of  converting  Cris- 
pus,  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  and  his  family,  he  had  no 
large  success  with  the  Jews  and  consequently  turned  to 
the  Gentiles.  The  Gentiles  gladly  heard  him  and  there 
was  a  great  ingathering  into  the  church. 

Paul's  sole  purpose  was  to  preach  Christ  for  he  says, 
"I  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you,  save 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified"   (l  Cor.  2:2). 

The  City  of  Corinth  was  the  largest  and  most  impor- 
tant city  of  Greece.  The  commerce  of  the  world  flowed 
through  its  two  harbours.  The  population  consisted  of 
Greeks,  Jews,  Italians,  and  a  mixed  multitude;  it  was 
excitable,  pleasure  loving,  and  mercurial.  In  this  city 
was  held  a  perpetual  vanity  fair.  The  vices  of  the  east 
and  west  met  and  clasped  hands  in  the  work  of  human 
degradation.  The  Greek  goddess  Aphrodite  had  a  mag- 
nificent temple  in  which  a  thousand  priestesses  ministered 
to  a  base  worship.  While  it  was  a  center  of  wealth  and 
fashion  it  was  a  city  of  gilded  vice.  In  the  philosophical 
schools  there  was  an  endless  discussion  about  words  and 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New         97 

non-essentials  and  a  strong  tendency  to  set  intellectual 
above  moral  distinctions. 

THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

Occasion  and  Purpose. — It  was  natural  that  the  pres- 
sure of  heathen  customs  and  practices  should  be  very  great 
upon  this  young  church.  It  was  also  to  be  expected  that 
parties  and  divisions  would  arise.  The  immediate  cause 
of  this  Epistle  was  that  strifes  and  divisions  had  arisen  in 
the  church.  It  was  the  reporting  of  these  matters  to 
Paul  by  those  "of  the  house  of  Chloe"  (i  Cor.  i:ii) 
that  led  him  to  write  in  the  way  in  which  he  did.  To 
settle  the  strifes  of  this  church  and  to  define  the  relations 
which  Christians  should  assume  towards  the  political, 
religious,  and  domestic  institutions  of  the  heathen  was  a 
matter  of  no  httle  delicacy  and  difficulty.  The  mastery 
of  Paul  is  shown  in  the  laying  down  of  principles,  in 
accordance  with  the  gospel  of  Christ,  that  were  effective 
not  only  for  the  Corinthian  church  but  which  are  appHc- 
able  to-day  to  all  such  church  difficulties  and  the  conduct 
of  Christians  towards  non-Christians. 

A  Former  Epistle, — Previous  to  the  one  now  called 
'*The  First,"  had  been  written  to  the  Corinthians  (i  Cor. 
5:9)  and  '*it  appears  that  the  church  had  repHed  and 
requested  further  explanation  and  instruction  on  certain 
points"   (5:11;   7:1;   8:1;   12:1;   16:12), 

Place  and  Time. — This  Epistle  was  written  during 
Paul's  long  stay  in  Ephesus  (Acts  19:10;  I  Cor.  16:19) 
and  the  date  is  in  all  probability  57  A.D. 

The  Supremacy  of  Christ  over  all  parties,  His  love  as 
the  touchstone  of  all  service,  and  His  resurrection  are 
the  great  subjects  of  this  Epistle. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Salutation  and  thanksgiving  (1:1-9). 

2.  Correction  of  divisions  of  party  spirit  (l:lO- 
4:21).  It  having  been  reported  to  Paul  that  four  parties 
were  striving  for  mastery  in  the  church  and  there  was 


98       Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paui 

great  contention;  he  rebukes  the  party  spirit,  sets  forth 
the  principles  of  his  teaching,  and  declares  that  Christ 
alone  is  the  center  of  the  Christian  system.  Faith  stands 
not  in  the  wisdom  of  men.  The  only  foundation  is  in 
Christ. 

3.  Correction  of  moral  disorders  (ch.  5-7).  In 
consequence  of  the  close  contact  of  the  church  with 
heathendom  grave  moral  evils  found  their  way  into  the 
fold,  (a)  The  case  of  an  incestuous  person,  Paul  writes 
that  such  a  person  is  to  be  expelled  because  the  leaven  of 
evil  separates  men  from  Christ,  (b)  The  sin  of  going  to 
law  in  heathen  courts.  Christians  ought  to  settle  their 
own  disputes,  (c)  Sins  of  the  body.  No  man  should 
commit  a  sin  as  his  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(d)  Advice  concerning  marriage.  The  purpose  of  the 
gospel  is  not  to  antagonize  but  to  Christianize  the  natural 
relations  between  society  and  the  believer. 

4.  Correction  of  social  and  ecclesiastical  misconcep^ 
tions  (ch.  8-14).  (a)  The  question  of  eating  of  meats 
offered  in  idol  worship  is  decided  on  the  ground  of  love 
rather  than  knowledge,  (b)  The  preacher  of  the  gospel 
has  the  right  to  be  supported  by  the  church,  (c)  The 
true  Christian  liberty  to  be  observed  in  the  matters  of 
eating  and  drinking.  The  proper  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,     (d)  The  use  and  abuse  of  spiritual  gifts. 

(e)  The  greatness  of  love  (ch.  13)  The  touchstone 
of  dU  is  love,  (f)  The  end  to  be  sought  in  every  spiritual 
gift  is  the  edification  and  upbuilding  of  the  church. 

5.  The  true  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  (ch.  15), 
Paul  lays  great  stress  upon  this  doctrine.  '*If  Christ  be 
not  risen  from  the  dead,  then  is  our  preaching  vain  and 
your  faith  is  also  vain." 

6.  Parting  directions,  exhortations,  and  salutations 
(ch.  16). 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New  99 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

Occasion  and  Purpose. — Paul  was  quite  anxious  about 
the  reception  of  his  first  letter  by  the  Corinthian  church. 
Not  long  after  its  dispatch  he  sent  Titus  (2  Cor.  2:13)  to 
see  how  it  was  received  and  to  note  whether  the  strife  of 
parties  had  ceased,  the  incestuous  person  had  been  dealt 
with,  and  other  matters  properly  adjusted.  While  Titus 
was  absent  on  this  mission  Paul  left  Ephesus  on  account 
of  the  riot  made  by  Demetrius  and  his  fellows  (Acts 
10:23-41;  20:1)  and  went  over  into  Macedonia  (Acts 
20:1).  On  the  way,  at  Troas,  he  expected  to  meet  Titus 
and  was  greatly  disappointed  in  not  seeing  him  (2  Cor. 
2:12-13).  It  is  evident  that  he  met  Titus  in  Macedonia 
and  received  from  him  the  report  of  the  condition  of  the 
Corinthian  church  and  the  manner  in  which  his  first  letter 
had  been  received  and  acted  upon  (2  Cor.  7:5-16). 
Again  it  is  evident,  from  the  Epistle,  that  Titus  brought 
back  the  encouraging  news  to  the  Apostle  that  the  inces- 
tuous person  had  been  dealt  with  and  had  repented,  and 
that,  as  a  whole,  the  church  stood  loyally  by  him,  but  still 
there  were  some  who  were  making  trouble.  It  was  this 
report  that  was  the  occasion  of  the  Second  Epistle.  Prof. 
G.  B.  Stevens  says  in  regard  to  this  letter.  It  reflects 
the  mingled  joy  and  grief  of  the  Apostle.  The  earlier 
chapters  are  predominately  cheerful  and  commendatory, 
the  latter  mainly  sorrowful  and  severe.  In  the  light  of 
these  facts  the  letter  may  be  described  as  threefold :  First, 
to  encourage  and  instruct  the  church  (1-7).  Second, 
to  induce  the  Corinthians  to  make  a  collection  for  the 
poor  Judean  churches  (8-9).  Third,  to  defend  the 
writer's  apostolic  authority  against  the  calumnies  of  his 
enemies  (10-13). 

Place  and  Time. — There  are  a  number  of  references 
by  the  Apostle  v/hich  show  that  this  Epistle  was  written 
in  Macedonia  (1:15,  16;  2:i2,  13;  8:i;  9:2)  and  shortly 
after  Paul  came  out  of  Asia  (1:8,  compare  Acts  20:1, 


loo     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

2).     The  time  probably  57  A.D.,  the  same  year  in  which 
the  First  Epistle  was  written. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Salutation  (i:l,  2) 

2.  Paul's  principles  and  ways  of  working  (1:3- 
7:16)  In  these  chapters  the  Apostle  endeavors  to  re- 
move any  feeling  of  bitterness  which  may  have  been  pro- 
duced in  the  Corinthian  church  by  his  dealing  with  a 
certain  evil  in  the  previous  Epistle.  He  also  vindicates 
his  spiritual  ministry.  He  declares  his  love  for  the  church 
and  its  spiritual  advancement.  He  also  declares  that  he 
has  put  off  his  visit  to  Corinth  that  he  might  not  come  in 
sorrow.  He  rejoices  in  the  good  news  brought  by  Titus. 
While  he  is  weak  in  body,  the  power  is  of  God  and  the 
ministry  is  a  communication  of  the  Spirit.  He  asserts 
that  he  is  sustained  by  the  hope  of  the  future  Hfe.  He 
earnestly  exhorts  the  church  to  receive  and  live  the  gospel 
which  he  preached  to  them,  for  separation  from  the  world 
and  unity  with  God.  In  chapter  seven  he  rejoices  that 
they  have  received  his  words  so  well. 

3.  The  collection  for  the  poor  Christians  in  Jerusalem 
(8-9).  Paul  here  speaks  of  the  liberality  of  the  Mace- 
donian churches  and  the  work  of  Titus  who  is  sent  to  for- 
ward the  contributions. 

4.  Paul's  vindication  of  his  authority  as  an  apostle 
(10:1-13:10).  He  has  been  attacked  in  his  person,  char- 
acter, and  teaching  by  parties  in  the  Corinthian  church 
who  would  overthrow  his  authority  and  ruin  the  church. 
These  four  chapters  are  a  magnificent  setting  forth  of  his 
apostolic  claims,  (a)  His  power  and  glory  are  not  in  his 
bodily  presence  or  his  letters  but  in  the  spiritual  might  of 
God.  (b)  His  preaching  is  the  pure  gospel  of  Christ. 
In  bodily  labor,  trials,  and  persecutions  he  has  excelled 
them  all  (ch.  ii).  (c)  He  has  the  highest  qualifica- 
tions (in  visions  and  revelations)  but  he  will  glory  only  in 
his  infirmities.  His  object  is  not  to  boast  but  to  put  an 
end  to  the  disorders  in  the  church,     (d)  The  Apostle 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New        loi 


declares  his  intention  to  visit  the  church.  By  the  power 
of  Christ  he  will  not  spare  the  evil.  His  desire  is  only 
for  righteousness. 

5.    Farewell  greetings  and  messages  (13:11-14). 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS 

The  Church  at  Rome.— When  and  by  whom  this 
church  was  founded  it  is  not  known.  It  is  thought  that 
the  ''strangers  of  Rome"  (Acts  2:io),  who  were  present 
at  the  day  of  Pentecost  when  the  great  manifestation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  took  place,  carried  back  the  good  news 
and  that  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  church.  It  was 
composed  of  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  for  Paul  addresses 
both  classes  (Rom.  1:13;  9:24;  11:13;  2:17;  4:1; 
9:13;  7:1;  9:1-5).  This  church  seems  to  have  made 
rapid  progress  (1:8).  Paul  was  evidently  acquainted 
with  some  of  the  Roman  Christians  (16:3-15). 

Occasion  and  Purpose. — This  Epistle  grew  out  of  a 
desire  on  the  part  of  Paul  to  see  Rome  (Acts  19:21; 
Rom.  i:ii;  15:24-28).  As  this  would  be  his  first  visit 
it  was  no  more  than  a  courteous  act  that  he  should  write 
to  the  church  of  this  intention.  Again  as  the  Christians 
in  Rome  might  have  heard  false  and  distorted  reports  of 
the  gospel  which  he  preached,  Paul  takes  care  to  clearly 
and  logically  set  forth  the  principles  and  doctrines  which 
he  was  teaching.  This  letter  then  becomes  very  impor- 
tant as  the  summing  up  of  the  experience  and  teaching  of 
many  years  of  service  in  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Place  and  Time — This  Epistle  was  in  all  probability 
written  from  Corinth  during  Paul's  stay  there  in  the 
course  of  his  third  missionary  journey  58  A.D.  (com- 
pare Acts  19:21;  20:1-3;  Rom.  16:23;  I  Cor.  1:14; 
2  Tim.  4:20). 

Central  Thought. — The  theme  is  justification  by  faith 
and  not  by  works.  There  are  four  main  positions.  First, 
All  are  guilty  before  God.     Second,  All  need  a  Savior. 


I02     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


Third,  Christ  died  for  all.  Fourth,  We  are  all  (through 
faith)  one  body  in  Him.  The  thought  may  be  put  in 
other  ways,  but  all  to  the  same  purpose.  The  doctrine 
of  sin,  and  the  doctrine  of  grace;  or  the  universality  of 
sin  and  the  universality  of  grace. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points There   are 

two  great  sections,  Doctrinal  (ch.  i-ii),  and  Practical, 
(ch.  12-16). 

1.  Introduction  (1:1-15).  Paul's  salutation  to  and 
thanksgiving  for  (the  faith  of)  the  Roman  churcli. 

2.  Doctrinal  (1:16-11:36).  (a)  The  great  theme 
stated.  Justification  by  Faith,  (b)  All  have  sinned  and 
all  are  guilty.  Gentiles  without  the  law  and  Jews  with  the 
law  have  failed  to  attain  righteousness,  (c)  Righteous- 
\iess  for  all  comes  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  not 
by  law  or  works;  the  universality  of  grace.  Abraham 
was  justified  by  faith  (ch.  4).  The  blessedness  of 
justification  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  (ch.  5).  (d\ 
Objections  against  free  grace  that  it  will  multiply  sin  or 
discredit  the  law  are  taken  up  and  answered.  Thorough 
union  with  Christ  on  the  part  of  the  believer  annihilates 
sin  and  the  law  has  no  more  any  power.  The  believer 
justified  by  his  faith  in  Christ  is  dead  to  the  law  while 
quickened  to  a  new  and  holy  life  by  the  Spirit,  (e)  The 
apparent  rejection  of  Israel  is  the  problem  considered  in 
chapters  9-1 1.  The  nation  sought  righteousness  through 
the  law  and  not  by  faith,  (f)  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law 
for  righteousness,     (g)  The  restoration  of  Israel. 

3.  Practical  (12-16).  (a)  Advice  and  exhortation. 
The  Christian's  duty  to  the  church  and  his  conduct  outside 
of  it;  duty  to  the  state  and  society;  duty  01  toleration  and 
supreme  trust  in  Christ,  (b)  Salutations.  Paul's  apol- 
ogy and  explanation  for  addressing  the  Roman  church. 
Greetings  to  various  persons  and  farewell  words. 


The  Old  Faiths  and  the  New        103 


QUESTIONS 

What  can  be  said  of  the  old  faiths  and  the  new?  What  was 
the  great  question?  The  Jewish  faith;  how  fulfilled  in  Christ? 
What  can  be  said  of  the  heathen  faith?  What  of  the  new  faith  in 
Christ?  What  is  the  practical  bearing  of  this  group  of  Epistles 
upon  every  day  life?  When  written?  Give  some  account  of  the 
Galatians.  When  was  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  written? 
What  was  the  occasion  and  purpose?  Give  the  principal  divis- 
ions and  chief  points.  What  can  be  said  of  the  Epistles  to  the 
Corinthians?  When  was  the  church  founded?  Give  some  account 
of  the  city.  What  was  the  occasion  and  puipose  of  writing  the 
first  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians?  What  was  the  place  and  time? 
What  the  thought  of  Christ.  Give  the  principal  divisions  and 
chief  points.  What  was  the  occasion  and  purpose  of  writing  the 
Second  Epistle?  Place  and  time?  Give  the  principal  divisions 
and  chief  points.  When  was  the  church  at  Rome  founded? 
What  was  the  occasion  and  purpose  of  writing  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans?  Time  and  Place?  Central  thought?  Give  the  principal 
divisions  and  chief  points. 


III.     PAUL'S   WRITINGS 


Study  IX 
THE    SUPREMACY    OF    CHRIST 

THIRD    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 
COLOSSIANS.       PHILEMON.       EPHESIANS.       PHILIPPIANS 

ANALYSIS 

The  Question  at  Issue — The  Supremacy  of  Christ.  Reason  fox 
Raising  this  Qestion.  The  Answer  to  the  Question.  Pres- 
ent Day  Attention. 

The  Writing  of  the  Epistles — The  Interest.  The  Sending  of  the 
Epistles. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Colossians— The  Church  at  Colossse.  The 
Occasion.  Central  Thought.  Time  and  Place  of  Writing. 
Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

The  Epistle  to  Philemon — Occasion.  Principal  Divisions  and 
Chief  Points. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians — The  City  and  the  Church.  Title 
and  Time  of  Writing.  Subject.  Principal  Divisions  and 
Chief  Points. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Philippians — The  City  and  the  Church.  Occa- 
sion. Objects.  Time  of  Writing.  Principal  Divisions  and 
Chief  Points. 


los 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  IX 
THE    SUPREMACY   OF   CHRIST 

THIRD    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 
COLOSSIANS.       PHILEMON.       EPHESIANS.       PHILIPPIANS 

THE  QUESTION  AT  ISSUE 

The  Supremacy  of  Christ. — These  Epistles  mark  a 
new  stage  in  the  writings  of  Paul.  The  great  question 
discussed  in  the  second  group  of  Epistles  was  in  regard 
to  the  terms  of  salvation.  The  question  now  at  issue 
(in  Colossians,  Ephesians,  Phihppians)  is:  What  is  the 
nature,  the  rank,  the  dignity  of  the  Mediator  of  salvation? 
Is  He  one  of  a  series  of  Saviors?  Does  He  belong  to 
some  angelic  order  (Col.  2:18),  or,  does  He  stand  supreme 
(Col.  2:8,  9,  19)  and  solitary?  Is  He  the  Head  and  Chief 
of  all  creation  (Col.  2:19;  i:i6).  Other  matters  are  dis- 
cussed in  these  Epistles,  but  this  is  the  great  doctrinal 
question  and  burden  of  the  Apostle's  thought. 

The  Reason  for  the  Raising  of  this  Question  was  the 
development  of  certain  false  religious  behefs  among  which 
were,  *' asceticism,  the  worship  of  angels,  revelings  in  sup- 
posed visions  and  belief  in  emanations. ' '  These  ' ' degraded 
the  object  of  faith  and  so  destroyed  its  meaning  and 
power." 

The  Answer  to  the  Question. — Paul  is  in  no  doubt  as 
to  the  supremacy  of  Christ.  All  his  argument  is  to  show 
the  Deity  of  Christ.  He  holds  '^aloft  the  true  object  of 
faith   namely,   the   supreme   Divine   Savior  Himself,   in 

107 


io8      Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

opposition  to  speculation  which  would  degrade  and  deny 
to  Him  the  eminence  which  belongs  to  Him"  (Col. 
1:15-20;  Eph.  1:10,  20-23;  3:9;  Philippians  2:5-11). 
Present  Day  Attention  has  been  focused  upon  this 
matter  of  the  supremacy  of  Christ.  Was  he  human  or 
divine?  The  arguments  of  Paul  still  hold  good  for  a  stout 
behef  in  the  Divine  Christ.  The  writings  of  the  Great 
Apostle  are  all  characterized  by  his  grasp  of  fundamental 
things;  they  serve  their  purpose  for  the  modern  church 
in  bringing  it  back  to  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Savior,  as 
they  also  in  times  past  corrected  the  errors  of  the  early 
church. 

THE  WRITING  OF  THE  EPISTLES 

The  Interest  in  these  Epistles  is  heightened  by  the 
fact  that  they  were  written  during  Paul's  first  Roman 
imprisonment  of  which  Luke  gives  all  too  brief  an  account 
(Acts  28:30,31).  They  have  been  called  from  this  fact, 
"The  Epistles  of  the  First  Imprisonment."  It  is  a  mar- 
vel that  Paul  with  his  surroundings  could  have  written  in 
such  a  masterly  way  and  handled  such  lofty  themes  in  a 
manner  which  has  commanded  the  attention  of  the  think- 
ing world  ever  since  his  day  and  age. 

The  Sending  of  the  Epistles — Colossians,  Philemon, 
and  Ephesians  were  evidently  dispatched  from  Rome  by 
the  same  messenger,  Tychicus  (Col.  4:7,  9;  Eph. 
t:2i).  Philippians  was  sent  by  the  hand  of  Epaphro- 
ditus  (Phil.  2:25;  4:18). 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 

The  Church  at  Colossae. — The  city  of  Colossae  was 
situated  about  IIO  miles  east  of  Ephesus  where  Paul 
spent  so  long  a  time  during  his  third  missionary  journey 
(Acts  19:10).  We  have  no  record  of  any  visit  of  Paul  to 
this  city  or  how  the  church  was  founded  (Col.  2:1). 
It  is  supposed  that  Ephaphras  might  have  organized  this 
church  (Col.  i :;). 


The  Supremacy  of  Christ  109 

The  Occasion  (and  purpose)  of  this  Epistle  was  evi- 
dently the  coming  of  Epaphras  to  Rome  to  consult  Paul 
about  the  affairs  of  this  church  (i:/,  8). 

In  chapter  2:8-23  we  have  some  account  of  the  things 
which  were  troubling  this  Christian  community  and  draw- 
ing them  away  from  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Savior. 

False  teachers  had  appeared  at  Colossae  who  were 
confusing  the  minds  of  the  Christian  converts.  The 
starting  point  of  the  error  of  teaching  was  the  old  oriental 
dogma  that  matter  is  evil  and  the  source  of  evil  (2:8), 
that  as  God  is  good  the  world  could  not  have  come  directly 
from  God.  To  bridge  the  chasm  between  God  and  the 
matter  of  the  world  a  long  chain  of  intermediate  beings 
was  conceived  to  exist.  This  doctrine  played  havoc  with 
the  simplest  moral  conceptions  for  if  matter  is  evil,  and 
its  source,  then  man's  sin  is  not  in  his  will,  but  in  his 
body.  Redemption  from  sin  can  come  only  through 
asceticism  and  the  mortification  of  the  flesh. 

The  result  of  all  this  was  a  lowering  of  the  dignity  of 
Christ,  taking  away  His  saving  power  and  the  ** substitu- 
tion of  various  ascetic  abstinences  and  rituahstic  practices 
(2:20)  for  trust  in  Him,  the  worship  of  angels  (2:18), 
and  a  revehng  in  dreams  and  visions.''  **This  was  kin- 
dred to  a  type  of  speculation  which  later  became  rife  under 
the  name  of  Gnosticism." 

To  these  ideas  Paul  opposed  the  true  doctrine  of  the 
Headship  of  Christ  (2:19)  and  that  He  is  the  only  link 
between  God  and  the  universe  (1:15-17).  *'By  Him 
were  ail  things  created  (l:i6)  that  are  in  heaven  and  that 
are  in  earth."  Christ  is  the  only  Mediator  (1:13,  14)- 
In  this  faith  there  is  no  place  for  ascetic  mortification. 
Evil  is  in  our  unwilhngness  to  live  the  life  in  Christ.  In 
Christ  we  are  dead  to  sin  and  risen  with  Him  to  a  Hfe 
of  holiness  (2:20-23;  3 •1-4)-  Christ  is  not  only  our 
Redeemer  (1:14)  and  the  Head  of  the  church,  but  the 
source  of  creation  and  its  Lord  (i:i6,  17).  We  have 
a  similar  error  (against  which  Paul  warns)  taught  to-day 


no     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

by  the  speculative  thinker,  who  fills  the  world  with  forces 
which  leave  no  room  for  the  working  of  a  personal 
will. 

Central  Thought. — Jesus  Christ  the  sole  Savior  of 
men  and  Mediator  between  God  and  men  (1:13-14),  the 
Creator  (i:l6;  2:9)  and  Head  of  the  church  (i:l8). 
Exhortation  to  follow  Christ   (3:1-4). 

Time  and  Place. — This  Epistle  was  written  at  Rome 
and  sent  by  the  messenger,  Tychicus,  (4:7,  8,  18)  to  the 
church  at  Colossas  about  63  A.D. 

Paul  also  directed  that  it  be  read  to  the  church  at 
Laodicea  (4:16). 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Introduction  (i:l-l2)  Salutation.  Thanksgiving 
for  their  faith  and  prayer  for  their  increase  and  knowledge 
of  the  will  of  God. 

2.  Doctrinal.  "The  sole  Headship  of  Christ" 
(1:13-3:4).  (a)  Christ  the  Mediator.  There  is  redemp- 
tion for  us  through  His  blood,  (b)  Christ,  the  image  of 
the  invisible  God,  Creator  and  Preserver  of  all  things. 
(c)  He  is  the  Head  of  the  church,  reconciliation  is  only 
through  Him.  The  Colossians  were  reconciled  to  God 
through  the  mediation  of  Christ.  It  is  the  earnest  desire 
of  Paul  that  the  church  at  Colossee  should  remain  rooted 
in  the  faith  which  it  had  been  taught,  (d)  Warning 
against  wrong  speculation;  lest  any  man  *' through  phil- 
osophy or  vain  deceit"  obscure  or  cause  the  Colossians 
to  deny  the  true  Godhead  of  Christ  (2:8-15).  (e) 
Renewed  warnings  against  errors  in  worship;  Jewish 
observances,  ordinances  and  asceticisms,  and  the  adora- 
tion of  angels,  (f )  In  Christ  we  are  dead  to  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  world  and  risen  into  communion  with  God 
in  Christ. 

3.  Practical  (3:5-4:6).  (a)  Exhortations  to  cast 
out  all  sins  of  the  unregenerate  nature  and  to  put  on  the 
new  man  in  Christ.  Then  Christ  will  be  all  and  in  all. 
(b)  All  family  and  social  duties  are  to  be  performed  as  in 


The  Supremacy  of  Christ  1 1 1 

the  sight  of  Christ,     (c)  Renewed  exhortations  to  prayer 
and  watchfulness. 

4.  Conclusion  (4:7-18).  (a)  The  mission  of  Tychi- 
cus  and  Onesimus,  the  greetings  of  the  companions  of 
Paul  and  his  expressed  desire  that  the  churches  of  Colossse 
and  Laodicea  exchange  Epistles,     (b)  The  Salutation. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON 

Occasion. — This  is  the  only  purely  personal  letter  of 
Paul  that  we  possess.  It  is  placed  in  this  group  because 
it  was  sent  with  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  and  by  the 
same  messenger,  Tychicus  (Col.  4:7-9).  Philemon  was 
a  member  (with  his  wife  Apphia)  of  the  church  at  Colos- 
S9e  (Philemon  2).  Onesimus  was  a  ininaway  slave, 
belonging  to  Philemon,  who  had  found  his  way  to  Rome 
and  been  converted  by  Paul  (Philemon  lO),  who  returned 
him,  with  this  letter,  to  his  master  (Col.  4:9;  Philemon 
10-12). 

In  this  letter  we  have  a  picture  of  the  Apostle's  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  a  carrying  out  of  the  principles  which 
Paul  had  advocated  in  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 
(7:20-24),  '*Let  every  man  abide  in  the  same  calhng 
wherein  he  was  called."  We  find  also  this  same  principle 
set  forth,  in  another  way,  in  his  letter  to  the  Colossians 
upon  the  '* Supremacy  of  Christ."  These  principles  will 
make  all  men  brethren  in  Christ  and  every  man  will  strive 
to  serve  Christ  in  his  own  place,  whatever  that  place  is. 
Paul  exhorts  Philemon,  along  this  very  line,  to  receive 
Onesimus  not  as  a  servant  but  as  a  brother  beloved 
(Philemon  16). 

The  practical  teaching  of  this  letter  upon  the  relations 
between  masters  and  servants  and  employers  and  employ- 
ees is  very  pertinent  to  the  present  times.  The  true 
solution  of  all  labor  troubles  is  that  men  should  regard 
each  other  as  brethren  under  the  leadership  of  Jesus 
Christ. 


112     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Salutation  and  Thanksgiving  (l-/). 

2.  Statement  of  the  object  of  the  letter  (8-2 1).  As 
a  favor  for  love's  sake  Philemon  is  asked  to  receive  back 
Onesimus  no  longer  a  runaway  slave  but  Paul's  spiritual 
child.  Emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  fact  that  he  is  now  a 
Christian  brother  and  should  be  received  as  such. 

3.  Conclusion  (22-25).  (^)  ^^  expectation  of  a 
speedy  release  from  imprisonment  the  Apostle  asks  that 
a  lodging  be  secured  for  him  (22  v.).  (b)  Salutation 
and  benediction  (23-25). 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS 

The  City  of  Ephesus  and  the  Church. — This  city 
was,  next  to  Rome,  the  most  important  visited  by  Paul. 
It  was  the  capital  of  Asia  Minor  and  a  great  commercial 
center.  It  was  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  the  goddess 
Diana. 

Paul  first  visited  the  city  when  he  was  returning  from 
his  second  missionary  tour,  but,  while  asked  to  prolong 
his  stay,  he  remained  only  for  a  short  time  (Acts  18:19- 
21).  During  his  third  missionary  journey  he  again  visited 
the  city  and  remained  for  three  years  (Acts  20:31,  com- 
pare 19:10,  22).  His  success  in  Ephesus  was  very  great 
(Acts  19:18-20,  26)  and  extended  beyond  the  city.  The 
letters  to  the  churches  at  Colossce  (Col.  1:2)  and  Laodicea 
(this  letter  is  lost)  (Col.  4:16)  show  his  care  for  the 
churches  that  were  adjacent  to  Ephesus  and  of  which  we 
have  no  account  of  his  visiting. 

Title  and  Time  of  Writing. — Many  scholars  think 
that  this  Epistle  was  a  circular  letter  written  for  the  edifi- 
cation of  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  and  sent  to  the 
church  of  the  capital  city.  This  opinion  is  strengthened 
by  the  lack  of  local  allusions  and  the  naming  of  friends, 
as  in  other  epistles.  The  inscription  **at  Ephesus'*  is 
wanting  in  two  of  the  more  important  manuscripts.     "On 


The  Supremacy  of  Christ  113 

this  view  it  may  be  supposed  that  a  space  was  left  in  the 
salutation  in  which  could  be  inserted  the  name  of  the  par- 
ticular place  where  the  letter  was  being  read,  that  the  letter 
finally  fell  wholly  into  the  keeping  of  the  Ephesian  church, 
and  that  the  space  was  at  length  permanently  filled  by  the 
phrase  *at  Ephesus.'  " 

The  time  and  place  of  writing  was  at  Rome  about  63 
A.D.  This  Epistle  was  sent  by  the  messenger,  Tychicus, 
(Eph.  6:21)  who  also  carried  the  letters  to  the  church  at 
Calossas  and  to  Philemon  (Col.  4:7-9). 

Subject. — As  in  Colossians,  the  subject  is  the  Head- 
ship of  Christ  (3:9-11);  His  person  and  work.  God's 
eternal  purpose  is  disclosed.  Christ  is  given  sway  over 
all  things  '^both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on 
earth"  (l:lO,  21).  The  unity  of  the  church  in  Christ 
is  set  forth;  the  unity  of  the  Gentile  and  Jewish  branches 
in  Him ;  the  unity  of  all  the  individual  members  in  Him. 
This  union  is  spiritual  and  not  mechanical;  it  is  holy  and 
pure;  therefore  sin  is  excluded.  Paul  looks  upon  this  as 
the  mystery  of  the  ages,  now  revealed  to  him.  There  is 
one  great  kingdom,  the  risen  and  glorified  Christ  is  the 
Head  of  this  kingdom  (1:19-23).  Redemption  and 
reception    into    this    kingdom    is    through    Jesus    Christ 

(17)- 

Paul  in  this  epistle  rises  above  the  controversies  of  the 
hour  and  sees  in  clear  vision  the  eternal  reahties  and  the 
great  plan  of  God  for  the  saving  of  men. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

I.  Introduction  (1:1-23).  (^)  Salutation.  (b) 
Thanksgiving  and  Thesis  (1:3-14).  Unity  in  Christ. 
He  who  is  the  Head  of  the  church  is  the  Center  of  the 
universe  (1:10).  The  eternal  purpose  of  God  in  Sal- 
vation is  now  made  known.  Before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  man  and  the  redeemed  church  of  Christ  were  in 
the  thought  of  God.  Christ  in  whom  we  have  redemption 
looked  forward  to  His  mission  from  eternity.  "Creation, 
oature,  and  redemption  are  all  parts  of  one  system";  in 


114     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

the  reconciliation  of  the  cross  all  orders  of  beings  are  con- 
cerned. "That  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times 
He  might  gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both 
which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth;  even  in 
Him"  (i:io).  (c)  Prayer.  A  petition  that  the  under- 
standing of  believers  may  be  illuminated;  that  they  may 
know  the  hope  of  their  calhng  and  the  riches  of  their 
heritage,  which  comes  through  unity  with  their  risen  and 
ascended  Lord. 

2.  Doctrinal.  Unity  in  Christ  (ch.  2-3).  (a)  The 
calling  of  the  Gentiles  out  of  '^trespasses  and  sins"  into 
a  new  life  in  Christ,  (b)  Jews  and  Gentiles  are  recon- 
ciled and  brought  together  in  one  body  by  the  cross;  '*no 
more  strangers  and  foreigners  but  fellow  citizens  with  the 
saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God."  All  built  upon 
the  foundation  of  Jesus  Christ,  through  the  Spirit,  (c) 
The  mystery  of  the  universal  call  was  made  known  to 
Paul  by  a  new  revelation.  Prayer  for  a  more  full  com- 
prehension of  this  unity. 

3.  Practical.  The  new  life  in  unity  with  Christ 
(4:1-6:17).  (a)  Exhortation  to  walk  worthy  of  this  new 
life,  (b)  Exhortation  to  gain  the  victory  over  sin  ''in 
virtue  of  the  sense  of  unity  with  man  in  Christ."  (c) 
Social  duties.  The  regeneration  and  consecration  in  this 
new  life  of  the  relations  of  husbands  and  wives,  children 
and  parents,  and  slaves  and  masters,  (d)  Final  entreaty, 
in  the  battle  against  the  powers  of  evil,  to  put  "on  the 
whole  armour  of  God." 

4.  Conclusion  (6:18-24).  (a)  Personal.  Paul  re- 
quests special  prayer  for  himself  in  captivity.  Tychicus 
is  commended,     (b)   Farewell  and  blessing. 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS 

The  City  of  Philippi  and  the  Church.— This  city  is 
notable  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first,  in  Europe,  in 
which  the  gospel  tidings  were  made  known.     Accounts 


The  Supremacy  of  Christ  115 

of  how  Paul  came  to  visit  Macedonia  and  to  begin  the 
work  in  Philippi  are  given  in  Acts  (i6:iO,  12-40). 
Going  out  of  the  city  as  he  did  by  the  river  side,  where 
prayer  was  wont  to  be  made,  and  talking  to  a  number  of 
women  about  the  **New  Way"  would  not  seem  to  be  a 
very  favorable  beginning  for  a  movement  which  was  to 
produce  such  exceedingly  large  results.  But  Paul  was  so 
full  of  zeal  for  Christ  that  he  seized  every  opportunity, 
no  matter  how  small,  to  make  Him  known.  This  church 
afterwards  was  a  great  comfort  to  the  Apostle.  This 
letter  shows  how  he  loved  it  and  how  he  exhorted  them  to 
rejoice  in  the  Lord  (4:4). 

Occasion. — Paul  was  in  prison  in  Rome.  The  Philip- 
pian  converts  were  greatly  concerned  about  him,  there- 
fore they  sent  Epaphroditus  with  gifts  and  offerings  to 
him  (4:18).  This  was  not  the  first  time  that  they  had 
taken  thought  of  and  remembered  their  founder,  in  a  simi- 
lar way  (4:15,  16).  The  Apostle  was  very  greatful  for 
their  care  (4:10-14).  While  in  Rome,  Epaphroditus 
was  taken  very  sick  and  came  near  death  (2:25-28). 
As  soon  as  he  had  recovered  from  his  sickness  Paul  sent 
him  back  to  Phihppi  (2:28),  with  this  letter.  The  refer- 
ence to  Caesar's  household  shows  how  strong  a  hold 
Christianity  was  getting  in  Rome  (4:22;  1:12-14),  and 
that  there  was  great  boldness  in  proclaiming  the  gospel. 

Objects. — It  is  an  Epistle  of  thanks  to  the  Philippians 
for  their  kindness  (4:10-18)  in  remembering  the  Apostle 
with  substantial  gifts  in  his  work  and  for  their  fellowship 
(1:5)  in  the  gospel. 

Another  object  is  to  give  them  friendly  advices  and 
warnings  (2:12-24;  3:2-3,  17-21)  Paul  does  not 
forget,  in  this  connection,  to  remind  them  of  Him  to 
whom  they  owe  a  whole-hearted  allegiance,  their  Lord 
and  Master,  Jesus  Christ  (4:1). 

The  great  doctrinal  object,  the  Supremacy  of  Christ, 
is  also  set  forth  as  is  markedly  manifest  in  the  Epistles  of 
Colossians  and  Ephesians.     The  whole  Christian  creed, 


ii6     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 

"the  incarnation,  passion,  and  exaltation  of  Christ'*  is 
expressed  in  the  second  chapter  (2:5-11),  **That  at  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven, 
and  things  in  earth  and  things  under  the  earth;  and  that 
every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to 
Jhe  glory  of  God  the  Father."  The  great  end  to  be 
attained  is  likeness  to  Christ  (2:5). 

Time  of  Writing. — This  epistle  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  latest  of  the  letters  written  during  the  first  imprison- 
ment in  Rome,  and  in  the  same  year  with  those  to  the 
churches  at  Colossae,  and  Ephesus.  It  was  probably  sent 
to  Philippi  shortly  after  the  other  Epistles  (Colossians, 
Philemon,  and  Ephesians)  had  been  dispatched  to  Asia 
Minor. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. — This  epistle 
is  divided  into  two  parts. 

First  part  (1:1-3:1). 

I.  Introduction  (1:1-2:4).  (a)  Greeting,  (b)  Paul's 
thanksgiving,  joy  in  the  fellowship,  and  prayer  for  the 
Philippians.  (c)  An  account  of  the  rapid  spread  of  the 
gospel  in  Rome  and  the  apostle's  rejoicing  that  Christ  is 
preached,     (d)  Exhortation  to  unity  in  Christ. 

2.  Doctrinal  (2:5-12).  In  this  short  passage  we 
have  the  Christian  creed  in  brief  form.  **The  Godhead 
of  Christ  and  His  Manhood — His  Pre-existence  and  His 
Incarnation — His  Passion  and  His  Exaltation." 

3.  Conclusion  of  the  first  part  (2:13-3:1).  (a) 
Renewed  exhortation  to  an  upright  and  blameless  Chris- 
tian life,  (b)  The  return  of  Epaphroditus.  (c)  Farewell 
message. 

Second  part  (3:2-4:23).  This  section  seems  to 
have  been  added  after  the  letter  had  been  finished. 

I.  Warnings  (3:2-21).  (a)  Against  Judaic  errors. 
Paul  could  boast  that  he  had  been  a  good  Jew  and  scrupu- 
lously kept  the  law,  yet  he  renounced  all  that  he  might 
win  Christ.  True  righteousness  can  come  only  through 
faith  in  Christ,     (b)  Against  a  false  idea  of  the  liberty  of 


The  Supremacy  of  Christ  117 

the   gospel;    whereby   men,   claiming  to   be   Christians, 
walked  in  evil  ways. 

2.  Final  exhortations  (4:1-9)  to  steadfastness,  unity, 
joy,  and  the  following  of  all  good  in  Christ.  Acknowl- 
edgment of  gifts  and  benedictions  (4:10-23). 

QUESTIONS 

What  is  the  question  at  issue  in  this  group  of  Epistles  ?  What 
the  reason  for  raising  this  question?  What  answer  is  given? 
What  attention  is  now  paid  to  this  question?  When  were  these 
Epistles  written?  How  were  they  sent?  What  can  be  said  of  the 
Epistles  to  the  Colossians?  The  church  at  Colossae,  how  was  it 
organized?  What  was  the  occasion  of  this  Epistle?  What  the 
central  thought?  What  the  time  and  place  of  writing?  Give  the 
principal  divisions  and  chief  points.  What  was  the  occasion  of 
the  Epistle  to  Philemon?  Give  the  principal  divisions  and  chief 
points.  What  can  be  said  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians?  Give 
an  account  of  the  founding  of  this  church.  What  can  be  said  of 
the  title  and  time  of  writing?  What  is  the  subject?  Give  the 
principal  divisions  and  chief  points.  What  can  be  said  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Philippians?  How  was  this  church  organized? 
What  was  the  occasion  of  the  Epistle?  What  the  objects?  Give 
the  time  of  writing.    Give  the  principal  divisions  and  chief  points. 


III.     PAUL'S  WRITINGS 


Study  X 
PASTORAL   AND    PERSONAL 

FOURTH    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 
FIRST    TIMOTHY.       TITUS.       SECOND    TIMOTHY 

ANALYSIS 

The  Place  of  the  Epistles— When  Written. 

Paul's  Fourth  Missionary  Journey — Notices  and  Time.  The  First 
Trip  Eastward.  The  Trip  Westward  to  Spain.  The  Second 
Trip  Eastward.     The  Second  Imprisonment  of  Paul. 

The  Questions  Discussed — The  Personal  Element.  The  Doctrinal 
Part.    The  Practical  Teaching.    The  Special  Theme. 

Paul's  Last  Declaration  of  His  Faith. 

The  First  Epistle  to  Timothy— Timothy.  Time  and  Place.  Pur- 
pose.    Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

The  Epistle  to  Titus — Titus.  Purpose.  Time  and  Place.  Prin- 
cipal Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

The  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy— The  Last  Words  of  Paul.  Time 
and  Place  of  Writing.  Purpose.  Principal  Divisions  and 
Chief  Points. 


119 


III.     PAUL'S   WRITINGS 


Study  X 
PASTORAL   AND    PERSONAL 

FOURTH    GROUP    OF    EPISTLES 
FIRST    TIMOTHY.       TITUS.       SECOND    TIMOTHY 

THE  PLACE  OF  THE  EPISTLES 

When  Written. — It  is  generally  agreed  among  scholars 
that  no  place  can  be  found  for  the  writing  of  First  Tim- 
othy, Titus,  and  Second  Timothy  in  the  period  covered 
by  Luke  in  his  narrative  in  Acts. 

Agreeing  with  the  tradition  of  the  church,  however, 
the  opinion  of  many  eminent  scholars  is  that  Paul  was 
released  from  the  first  Roman  imprisonment  (Acts  28:16, 
30),  that  he  again  took  up  his  missionary  work,  and  at 
the  end  of  a  few  years  of  such  work,  he  was  a  second 
time  imprisoned  and  suffered  martyrdom  under  the  Roman 
Emperor  Nero. 

It  was  during  this  period  between  the  first  and  second 
imprisonments  that  First  Timothy  and  Titus  were  written. 
Second  Timothy  was  written  during  the  second  imprison- 
ment at  Rome,  and  at  the  time  when  Paul  was  expecting 
his  sentence  of  death.  Eusebius  (H.  E.  2:22-2)  says, 
that  *'at  the  end  of  the  two  years  of  imprisonment, 
according  to  tradition,  Paul  went  forth  again  upon  the 
ministry  of  preaching;  and  in  a  second  visit  to  the  city 
ended  his  life  by  martyrdom  under  Nero,  and  that  during 
his  imprisonment  he  wrote  the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy." 


121 


122     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


PAUL'S  FOURTH  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 

Notices  and  Time. — From  the  notices  given  in  the 
Epistles  and  other  sources  the  probable  course  of  the  mis- 
sionaiy  travels  of  Paul  from  63-67  A.D.  has  been  recon- 
structed. 

The  First  Trip  Eastward.— When  Paul  wrote  to  the 
church  at  Philippi  (2:24)  and  to  Philemon  at  Colossae 
(22  V.)  he  evidently  expected  to  be  released  from  his  im- 
prisonment very  soon  and  to  see  his  beloved  Philippian 
church  and  Philemon.  He  was  so  sure  of  speedily  visit- 
ing Colossae  that  he  asked  that  a  lodging  be  prepared  for 
him.  With  Paul  to  plan  was  to  act  and  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  he  undertook  this  trip  immediately  upon  his 
release  from  prison.  He  probably  also  visited  Ephesus 
and  a  number  of  other  cities. 

The  Trip  Westward  to  Spain — In  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  Paul  declared  his  intenton  to  visit  Spain  (Rom. 
15:24,  28).  It  is  probable  that  he,  upon  his  return  from 
the  visit  to  Asia  Minor,  remained  for  a  very  short  time  in 
Rome  and  then  made  a  voyage  to  Spain. 

The  tradition  of  the  early  church  is  very  pronounced 
upon  this  voyage  to  Spain.  Clement  of  Rome  (Cor.  5) 
speaks  of  Paul  "having  reached  the  furtherest  bound  of  the 
west."  This  could  hardly  mean  anything  but  Spain. 
The  Muratorian  Fragment  names  ''the  departure  of  Paul 
from  the  city  to  Spain." 

The  Second  Trip  Eastward. — We  can  now,  from 
notices  in  First  and  Second  Timothy  and  Titus,  quite 
closely  follow  Paul  in  his  travels.  From  Spain  he  prob- 
ably went  by  various  stages  to  Ephesus,  where  as  he  tells 
us  (i  Tim.  1:3)  he  left  Timothy  in  charge  when  he  went 
into  Macedonia.  From  Macedonia  he  probably  wrote  his 
first  letter  to  Timothy  (i  13).  From  Macedonia  he  went 
to  Troas  and  from  Troas  to  Miletus  (2  Tim.  4:13). 
On  account  of  sickness  Trophimus  was  left  at  Miletus 
(2  Tim.  4:20).     He  next  probably  visited  Crete,  where 


Pastoral  and  Personal  123 

he  left  Titus  (Titus  1:5).  From  Crete  it  is  thought 
that  Paul  went  to  Corinth  (2  Tim.  4:20)  where  he  left 
Erastus  and  in  all  probability  wrote  to  Titus  (1:5).  In 
the  letter  to  Titus  Paul  speaks  of  being  at  Nicopolis  and 
of  his  intention  to  spend  the  winter  in  that  city  (Titus 
3:12).  But  these  notices  of  places  are  by  no  means  ex- 
haustive. They  show,  however,  how  wide  were  Paul's 
last  travels. 

The  Second  Imprisonment  of  Paul. — It  is  by  no 
means  unlikely  that  the  enemies  of  Paul,  of  whom  we 
hear  so  much  in  the  first  three  missionary  journeys,  were 
stirred  to  renewed  activity  by  again  seeing  him  at  liberty 
and  conducting  an  active  missionary  campaign.  But  with 
a  prisoner  on  parole  from  the  Imperial  Court  the  local 
magistrates  could  do  nothing.  But  a  new  element  came 
in.  The  great  fire,  which  destroyed  so  large  a  part  of  the 
city  of  Rome  on  the  i8th  of  July,  64  A.D.,  was  used  by 
the  Emperor  Nero  as  an  excuse  for  starting  a  great  perse- 
cution against  the  Christians.  This  was  done  to  divert 
the  odium  of  the  starting  of  the  fire  from  himself,  for  he 
had  sung  and  danced  the  *'Mime  of  the  Burning  of  Troy" 
from  a  turret  of  his  palace  during  this  great  conflagration. 
It  was  some  time  before  this  persecution  was  extended  to 
the  provinces  and  Paul's  enemies  saw  their  opportunity  to 
accuse  him  to  the  Imperial  Court,  where  under  the  cir- 
cumstances they  would  then  find  a  ready  hearing.  Paul 
was  probably  rearrested  at  Nicopolis  where  he  intended 
to  winter  (Titus  3:12)  and  hurried  off  to  Rome.  This 
time  he  endured  no  light  imprisonment.  Onesiphorus  had 
difficulty  in  finding  him  (2  Tim.  i:i6,  17)  and  he  was 
closely  confined  in  a  common  criminal  dungeon  (2  Tim. 
2:9).  From  this  dungeon  he  wrote  the  Second  Epistle 
to  Timothy  and  from  thence  he  went  to  his  death. 


124     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


THE  QUESTIONS  DISCUSSED 

The  Personal  Element  in  these  epistles  is  quite  large 
both  in  respect  to  Timothy  and  Titus  and  Paul  himself, 
but  it  is  quite  evident  that  this  element  is  not  the  chief 
cause  for  the  writing. 

The  Doctrinal  Part. — Paul  is  here  as  strenuous  for  the 
need  of  repentance,  the  atonement  through  Jesus  Christ 
and  His  sole  sufficiency  as  Mediator,  Savior,  and  Lord  of 
all  (l  Tim.  1:15-17;  Titus  2:13;  3:4-7),  as  in  his  other 
Epistles.  There  are  also  enemies  of  the  truth  who  are  to 
be  opposed  (2  Tim.  3).  It  is  quite  evident  from  what 
Paul  says  in  the  second  chapter  and  elsewhere  in  Titus 
and  Second  Timothy  that  the  Colossian  heresy  is  already 
bearing  its  evil  fruit  and  is  likely  in  the  future  to  do  great 
injury  to  the  churches. 

The  Practical  Teaching  about  the  necessity  of  devel- 
oping and  conserving  the  Church's  system  of  government 
occupies,  however,  the  chief  place.  "The  two  notes 
which  are  struck  again  and  again  are:  First,  'Hold  fast 
the  tradition,  the  deposit  of  faith.'  Second,  'Preserve 
order  in  the  church.'  In  short  this  group  of  Epistles 
constitutes  Paul's  last  will  and  testament  in  which  he 
gives  his  final  instructions  for  the  maintenance  and  con- 
tinuity of  the  faith." 

The  church  of  Jesus  Christ  must  have  form  and  order. 
The  truth  must  have  a  proper  shelter.  Churches  must 
have  and  observe  certain  regulations.  There  must  be 
proper  officers. 

The  gospel  is  applied  to  outward  conduct.  Great 
stress  is  laid  upon  the  character  of  church  officers  (l 
Tim.  3:1-13;  Titus  1:5-7).  Pastors  are  directed  how 
they  should  bear  themselves  toward  church  members  and 
what  they  should  teach  (i  Tim.  5;  Titus  2).  The  con- 
duct of  the  Church  in  the  presence  of  the  heathen  world 
and  its  magistrates  is  set  forth  (Titus  3).  Instruction 
is  given  in  regard  to  public  worship  (i   Tim.  2).     The 


Pastoral  and  Personal 


125 


most  effective  barrier  against  all  forms  of  evil,  it  is  de- 
clared, is  a  diligent  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  a  fervent 
preaching  of  the  word  (2  Tim.  3:13-4:5). 

The  Special  Theme  then  is,  ''The  constitution,  meth, 
ods,  and  conduct  of  the  early  churches."  (i  Tim.  2:i,  2, 
8,  9-12;  3:1-13;  Titus  1:5-14;  2:1-10;  3:1,  2,  8-II, 
13,  14;  2  Tim.  2:2,  14-18;  3:6-9). 

PAUL'S  LAST  DECLARATION  OF  HIS  FAITH 

The  famous  passage  in  2  Timothy  (4:6-8)  shows  how 
the  Great  Apostle  went  triumphantly  to  his  death.  It  is 
a  declaration  of  the  sustaining  power  of  his  faith  in  the 
Savior  whom  he  had  everywhere  proclaimed. 

''I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith:  Henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which 
the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day; 
and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  His 
appearing." 

THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY 

Timothy  was  one  of  the  close  companions  of  PauV. 
His  father  was  a  Greek  and  'his  mother  a  Jewess,  by  the 
name  of  Eunice,  (2  Tim.  1:5;  Acts  l6:i).  He  was  a 
native  of  Lystra,  Paul  took  him  as  his  companion  in  travel 
and  addressed  two  Epistles  to  him;  he  was  sent  on  a 
number  of  important  missions.  Timothy  is  mentioned 
twenty- four  times  by  name  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles; 
from  these  notices  we  can  construct  his  itinerary  with 
Paul  and  see  how  beloved  and  how  trusted  he  was  by  the 
Great  Apostle.  During  Paul's  last  journey  he  left  him 
in  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  church  at  Ephesus 
(l  Tim.  1:3).  When  Paul  was  apprehended  a  second 
time  and  lying  in  a  dungeon  at  Rome,  in  expectation  of 
death,  he  wrote  Timothy  the  last  letter  (2  Timothy)  he 


126     Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul 


ever  penned,  and  besought  him  to  come  to  him  as  speed- 
ily as  possible  (2  Tim.  4:9). 

Time  and  Place  of  Writing. — Paul  in  all  probability 
wrote  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy  from  Macedonia 
(l  Tim.  1 :3)  in  the  year  66  A.D. 

The  Purpose  *' involved  is  through  the  instruction  and 
exhortation  of  Timothy,  to  purify,  strengthen,  and  elevate 
the  Christian  life  of  the  church  in  Ephesus."  This  teach- 
ing is  put  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  applicable  to  every 
Christian  minister  and  church. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Greeting  (l:l,  2). 

2.  The  True  teaching  of  the  gospel  (ch.  i).  Tim- 
othy is  warned  against  false  teachers  and  reminded  of  the 
aim  and  end  of  life  in  Christ. 

3.  The  order  and  regulation  of  public  worship  (ch. 
2).  (a)  Prayer  for  those  in  authority  and  for  all  men. 
(b)  Instruction.  There  is  one  God  and  one  Mediator 
(Christ)  between  God  and  man.  (c)  Conduct  of  men  and 
women  in  the  church  assemblies. 

4.  Qualifications  of  the  church  ofificers  (ch.  3). 
(a)  The  ideal  minister,  (b)  The  ideal  deacon  and  the 
ministering  women,  (c)  Conclusion  of  chapter.  Paul 
declares  his  intention  to  visit  Timothy.  An  ascription  of 
praise. 

5.  The  government  of  the  Christian  church  and  com- 
munity (ch.  4-6).  In  these  thiee  chapters  Timothy  is 
charged  by  Paul  to  keep  before  him  a  high  view  of  the 
church  and  its  grand  destiny,  (a)  Timothy,  as  a  teacher, 
is  reminded  of  his  commission  to  put  the  church  on  guard 
against  errors  of  doctrine  and  hfe  (ch.  4).  (b)  Tim- 
othy is  shown  how  he  should  bear  rule  and  conduct  him- 
self towards  the  elders  and  women  of  his  congregation. 
Paul  adds  instructions  in  regard  to  a  man's  care  for  his 
family,  support  of  the  ministry,  discipline  of  offenders, 
etc.  (ch.  5).  (c)  Relations  of  masters  and  servants. 
Right  attitude  of  believers  in  Christ  toward  riches.     The 


Pastoral  and  Personal  127 

chief  thing  is  to  follow  after  righteousness,  godliness, 
faith,  love,  patience,  meekness,  and  to  fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith"  (6:1-19).  (d)  Closing  charge  to  Tim- 
othy with  benediction  (6:20,  21). 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS 

Titus  was  a  beloved  disciple  of  Paul.  He  was  a  Gen- 
tile and  was  taken  by  Paul  to  Jerusalem  and  was  made  a 
test  case  of  the  freedom  of  the  gospel  and  was  not  com- 
pelled to  be  circumcised  (Gal.  2:1-5).  He  is  mentioned 
by  name,  by  Paul,  twelve  times  in  four  of  the  Epistles 
(2  Cor.  2:13;  7:6,  13,  14;  8:6,  16,  23;  12:18;  Gal. 
2:1,  3;  2  Tim.  4:10;  Titus  1:4).  The  early  church  tra- 
dition is  that  Titus  was  descended  from  the  royal  family 
of  Crete.  He  was  an  able  and  capable  missionary.  We 
have  no  account  of  his  conversion.  He  might  have  come 
first  in  contact  with  Paul  and  been  converted  when  the 
Great  Apostle  visited  Crete  on  his  way  to  Rome  as  a 
prisoner  (Acts  27:7-13).  Some  time  was  spent  at  this 
island  by  Paul's  company  (Acts  27:9).  Paul  again 
visited  Crete  after  his  first  Roman  imprisonment  and 
when  he  went  away  he  left  Titus  in  charge  of  affairs 
(Titus  1:5),  *'To  set  in  order  things  that  are  wanting 
and  to  ordain  elders  in  every  city."  This  message  of 
Paul  to  Titus  not  only  shows  the  confidence  which  Paul 
reposed  in  him,  but  also  how  widespread  Christianity  was 
in  Crete.  After  Titus  had  completed  his  special  work  in 
Crete  he  was  to  rejoin  Paul  at  NicopoHs  (Titus  3:12). 

The  Purpose  of  this  letter  is  to  show  Titus  what  he  is 
to  do,  in  his  work  with  the  churches,  and  how  to  do  it. 

Time  and  Place  of  Writing — It  is  thought  that  this 
Epistle  was  written  from  Corinth  in  66  A.D. 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

I.  Greeting  and  subject  of  the  Epistle  (1:1-5). 
Titus  is  left  in  Crete  to  accompHsh  certain  things  (l;5) 
after  which  he  is  to  rejoin  Paul  (3;  12). 


128     Bible  Studies  In  the  Life  of  Paul 

2.  The  kind  of  officers  to  be  appointed  in  the  Cretan 
churches  (1:5-16).  Special  moral  and  spiritual  fitness 
is  set  forth  as  necessary  in  view  of  the  peculiar  character 
of  the  Cretans  and  certain  forms  of  doctrinal  error. 

3.  The  instruction  to  be  given  to  the  Cretans  (2:1- 
3:11).  (a)  **The  things  which  become  sound  doctrine." 
(b)  Practical  teaching  for  the  proper  regulation  of  the 
conduct  of  all  classes,  (c)  The  foundation  of  the  instruc- 
tion rests  upon  Christ,  (d)  Proper  attitude  of  the  Chris- 
tian community  toward  the  Pagan  world;  magistrates  and 
those  who  have  not  yet  beheved  in  Christ.  Kindness  and 
gentleness  and  the  avoidance  of  foolish  questions  best 
reveal  the  spirit  of  Christ  by  those  who  profess  His  name. 
(e)  Parting  requests  and  benediction  (3:12-15). 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY 

The  Last  Words  of  Paul. — This  Epistle  is  of  special 
interest  as  it  contains  the  last  recorded  words  of  Paul  to 
his  faithful  disciple,  Timothy.  The  Great  Apostle  is 
writing  from  a  strict  prison  confinement  (i:i6,  17; 
2:9).  He  has  had  a  first  preliminary  trial  (4:16)  and  this 
was  of  such  a  dread  nature  that  none  of  his  friends  dare 
to  stand  with  him,  yet  he  rejoices  in  his  Lord  that  He 
stood  by  him  and  strengthened  him.  He  feels  however 
that  his  end  is  near  and  gives  a  magnificent  testimony  of 
his  faith  (4:6-8).  He  urges  Timothy  to  come  to  him 
in  Rome  and  bring  Mark  with  him  (4:9,  ll). 

Time  and  Place  of  Writing. — It  was  written  by  Paul 
in  prison  at  Rome  67  AD. 

The  Purpose. — Paul  shows  here  his  care  for  the 
churches,  their  upbuilding  in  the  faith  and  their  proper 
regulation  of  the  things  that  pertain  to  worship  and  organi- 
zation. Timothy,  as  a  preacher  of  the  Word,  has  his 
personal  responsibility,  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  churches, 
presented  to  him. 


Pastoral  and  Personal  129 

Principal  Divisions  and  Chief  Points. 

1.  Greeting  and  thanksgiving  (1:1-5). 

2.  The  Christian  conduct  of  Timothy  (1:6-2:14) 
Paul  exhorts  Timothy  not  to  allow  himself  to  be  daunted 
by  fear  of  opposition  or  suffering  in  doing  his  work  for 
Christ.  He  encourages  him  by,  (a)  The  great  revelation 
and  power  of  the  gospel,  (b)  His  own  work,  (c)  The 
sure  hope  of  a  great  reward. 

3.  Timothy  as  a  preacher  of  the  Word  (2:15-4:5). 
Paul  exhorts  Timothy,  (a)  To  study  to  show  himself  a 
workman,  (b)  In  the  perilous  times  that  are  coming  to 
feed  on  the  Word  of  God  and  preach  it  in  season  and  out 
of  season. 

4.  Last  words  of  Paul  (4:6-22).  The  Apostle  now 
turns  to  himself  and  speaks  of  his  coming  martyrdom. 
He  is  ready  to  be  offered,  he  has  fought  a  good  fight. 
He  beseeches  Timothy  to  come  and  see  him  and  bring 
Mark.  He  refers  to  his  first  hearing  when  every  friend 
left  him  alone  and  only  the  Lord  stood  by  him.  He, 
after  various  messages,  closes  with  the  usual  benediction. 


QUESTIONS 

What  is  the  place  of  these  Epistles  in  Paul's  life?  What  can 
be  said  of  Paul's  fourth  missionary  journey;  the  first  trip  east- 
ward, the  trip  westward  to  Spain,  and  the  second  trip  eastward? 
How  did  Paul  come  to  be  imprisoned  a  second  time?  What  are 
the  questions  discussed  in  these  Epistles;  the  personal  element, 
the  doctrinal  part,  the  practical  teaching,  and  the  special  theme? 
What  is  Paul's  last  declaration  of  faith?  What  can  be  said  of 
the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy;  Timothy's  life,  time,  and  place  of 
writing,  the  purpose,  and  the  principal  divisions  and  chief  points? 
What  can  be  said  of  the  Epistle  to  Titus;  the  life  of  Titus,  the 
purpose,  time,  and  place  of  writing,  and  the  principal  divisions 
and  chief  points?  What  can  be  said  of  the  Second  Epistle  to 
Timothy;  the  last  words  of  Paul,  time  and  place  of  writing,  and 
the  principal  divisions  and  chief  points? 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  A  merica 


BIBLE  STUD Y  BY  TEXT- BOOKS 

A  New  Method  for  Bible  Classes 
By  HENRY  T.  SELL 

Ten  Interesting  Studies 

1.  Supplemental  Bible  Studies. 

2.  Bible  Studies  by  Books. 

3.  Bible  Studies  by  Periods. 

4.  Bible  Studies  by  Doctrines. 

5 .  Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Christ. 

6.  Bible  Studies  in  the  Life  of  Paul. 

7.  Studies  in  the  Life  of  the  Christian. 

8.  Studies  in  Early  Church  History. 
9  Bible  Studies  in  Vital  Questions. 

10.    Studies  in  the  Four  Gospels. 


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